Coach Guglielmo Arena leaves Nepal after one match due to FIFA suspension

Guglielmo Arena, the head coach of Nepal's men's national football team, has departed the country after just one match, citing the impossibility of his project following FIFA's suspension of Nepali football.

Arena, who joined the team on March 12 with the ambition of leading the Gorkhalis to their first SAFF Championship title, mutually agreed to terminate his contract with the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA). ANFA has not yet officially announced the resignation.

His tenure was plagued by disruptions. A friendly match against Hong Kong on March 26 was canceled due to a dispute between ANFA and the National Sports Council. Subsequently, the team traveled to Laos for an AFC Asian Cup Qualifier on March 31, where they lost 0-1. Arena then left Nepal for several weeks, returning in June only to find himself unable to train his players due to ongoing issues.

“

I decided to come to Nepal as I knew Nepal have very good quality players. I also found the challenge, to win the SAFF Championship, interesting.

"You can achieve nothing in football if you are not training regularly," Arena stated recently. He expressed disappointment that the ANFA National League and the Nepal Super League, which were expected to provide opportunities for players, could not resume or were uncertain due to ANFA's indefinite suspension by FIFA on June 24.

Arena, who has coached extensively across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, had chosen Nepal despite potentially earning more elsewhere. He saw the challenge of winning the SAFF Championship as a significant achievement for his career. However, the suspension of Nepali football and the inability to conduct regular training sessions rendered his coaching project untenable.

“

You can achieve nothing in football if you are not training regularly. And I have not been able to train my players since the game with Laos.