Nepal national under-17 football team
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| Nickname(s) | The Junior Gorkhalis | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | All Nepal Football Association | ||
| Confederation | AFC (Asia) | ||
| Sub-confederation | SAFF (South Asia) | ||
| Head coach | Upendra Man Singh | ||
| Captain | Manish Karki | ||
| Home stadium | Dasarath Rangasala Stadium | ||
| FIFA code | NEP | ||
| |||
| AFC U-16 Championship | |||
| Appearances | 3 (first in 2000) | ||
| Best result | Group-stages: 2000, 2006, 2014 | ||
Nepal national under-17 football team (Nepali: नेपाल राष्ट्रीय U-17 फूट्बल टिम) is the under-17 football (soccer) team of Nepal. The team recently participated in the 2014 AFC U-16 Championship.
History
Early years
In the mid-1980s, FIFA provided financial assistance and sent a number of coaches to help Nepal launch its first youth programme, which was geared towards spotting talent at the grassroots level (such as in schools, for example) and providing young players with the necessary know-how, both on and off the pitch. The initial five-year plan helped half the players groomed under the first youth programme to find a place in the national side, and the team that won the 2 gold medals in the first and sixth South Asian Federation (SAF) Games mostly consisted of the players from that youth programme.
Youth investment
ANFA asked FIFA for financial assistance to check the downslide of Nepalese domestic football and in 1998, FIFA agreed to donate funds through its Financial Assistance Programme (FAP), thereby allowing ANFA to construct a secretariat along with a football pitch and a hostel in Kathmandu to launch its youth development programme. The two-year intensive training period for the youth players selected in 1998 produced a number of skilful players, who recently participated in the ninth SAF Games (Pakistan, 29 March - 5 April). The same team had earlier topped its group in the Asian Cup preliminary round in March 2004.
However despite reaching the finals tournament of the 2000 AFC Youth Championship in Vietnam, Nepal refused to participate in a biological age test, and as a result was banned from the 2002 AFC Youth Championship.[1] This, along with the Maoist uprising left manager Stephen Constantine to resign.
In 2002, endeavours to develop football received a further fillip when FIFA awarded a Goal programme to Nepal. Thanks to this project, ANFA has constructed regional football centres that include hostels, office secretariats and playing grounds in three major towns in three different regions. ANFA built these centres to focus on spotting hidden talent in villages or schools around the nation. These centres will also provide the necessary coaching and physical training, and in the long-term, the nation as a whole will benefit with more regional football sides on a par with the clubs of Kathmandu.
Recent years
Nepal was fined by the Asian Football Confederation of fielding over-age players during the 2014 AFC U-16 Championship.[2] Since the fine, the All Nepal Football Association has put in place several necessary age checks as part of selection/trials. The most recent team has qualified for the 2016 AFC U-16 Championship, making it the first Nepal U-16 team to achieve a back-to-back qualification in history.[3]
Stadium
The team's home ground is shared with the Nepal national football team at the Dasarath Rangasala Stadium, a multi-purpose stadium in Tripureswor, Kathmandu, Nepal. Holding 25,000 spectators, of which 5.000 seated, it is the biggest stadium in Nepal. It is named after Dashrath Chand, one of the martyrs of Nepal.
Most recently, the stadium was used as a primary venue for the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup and the 2013 SAFF Championship, with the Halchowk Stadium hosting some of the matches as well. Apart from sporting events, the stadium is also used as a music venue for cultural events with Bryan Adams being the most notable act that performed at the site.
Prior to the 2013 SAFF Championship in Nepal, the Dasarath Rangasala underwent heavy renovation that saw several improvements such as the expansion of seats from 20,000 to 25,000.
Recent results and fixtures
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Win Draw Loss
Coaching staff
| Head Coach |  Upendra Man Singh |
| Coach | Rajesh Manandhar |
| Manager | Madhusudhan Upadhyay |
Players
The usual sequence is for the U16 team to play in a regional championship in one year, with the top four qualifying teams being invited to a FIFA U-17 World Cup in the following year, as the U17 team.
U-16 Squad
- The 23-man squad was entered for the 2015 SAFF U-16 Championship.[5]
- Caps and goals accurate up to and including 10 August 2015.
| # | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Arpan Karki | 3 | 0 | ANFA Academy
| |
| 21 | GK | Akash Ranabhat | 0 | 0 | ANFA Academy
| |
| 22 | GK | Sandesh Gurung | 0 | 0 | ANFA Academy | |
| 3 | DF | Roman Limbu | 3 | 0 | ANFA Academy
| |
| 15 | DF | Laxman Pariyar | 3 | 1 | ANFA Academy
| |
| 23 | DF | Rajan Gurung | 0 | 0 | ANFA Academy
| |
| 13 | DF | Anosh Magar | 3 | 0 | ANFA Academy
| |
| 2 | DF | Suman Aryal | 3 | 2 | ANFA Academy
| |
| 5 | MF | Niswant Lamgade | 5 December 2000 | 100 | 124 |  Exmouth Town F.C.
|
| 4 | DF | Aashish KC | 0 | 0 | ANFA Academy
| |
| 16 | DF | Abhishek Verma | 0 | 0 | ANFA Academy | |
avishek | ||||||
| 7 | MF | Abhishek Rijal | 3 | 0 | ANFA Academy
| |
| 27 | MF | Dewas Urau | 1 | 0 | ANFA Academy
| |
| 11 | MF | Manish Karki (c) | 3 | 0 | ANFA Academy
| |
| 19 | MF | Sesehang Angdembe | 3 | 0 | ANFA Academy
| |
| 25 | MF | Anil Maharjan | 1 | 0 | ANFA Academy
| |
| 8 | MF | Bikash Ale | 0 | 0 | ANFA Academy
| |
| 26 | MF | Ashok Thapa | 2 | 0 | ANFA Academy | |
| 30 | FW | Rajiv Lopchan | 1 | 0 | ANFA Academy
| |
| 17 | FW | Rejin Subba | 2 | 0 | ANFA Academy
| |
| 24 | FW | Dinesh Henjan | 0 | 0 | ANFA Academy
| |
| 10 | FW | Prezen Tamang | 3 | 2 | ANFA Academy
| |
| 14 | FW | Rajesh Pariyar | 0 | 0 | ANFA Academy
| |
| 9 | FW | Kshitiz Raj G.T | 3 | 1 | ANFA Academy | |
U-16 Recent Call-ups
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Abhilash Thapa | 0 | 0 | ANFA |
v.  Turkmenistan, September 29, 2013
| |
| GK | Prabin Shrestha | 0 | 0 | ANFA |
v. Turkmenistan, September 29, 2013
| |
| GK | Devraj Limbu | 0 | 0 | Kailali XI |
v.  South Korea, July 19, 2014 | |
| DF | Tshering Gurung | 4 | 2 | ANFA |
v. Turkmenistan, September 29, 2013
| |
| DF | Ujjwal Chemjong | 9 March 1998 | ANFA |
v. South Korea, July 19, 2014 | ||
| MF | Lalit Thapa | 0 | 0 | ANFA |
v. Turkmenistan, September 29, 2013
| |
| MF | Nishant Dhungana | 6 January 1998 | 0 | 0 | ANFA |
v. Turkmenistan, September 29, 2013
|
| MF | Sajan Magar | 0 | 0 | ANFA |
v.  India, July 30, 2013
| |
| MF | Sujan Limbu | 4 | 2 | ANFA |
v. Turkmenistan, September 29, 2013 | |
| FW | Kamal Thapa | 3 | 4 | Kailali XI |
v. South Korea, July 19, 2014 | |
Competitive record
- *Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
- **Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.
FIFA (U-17) World Cup
In order to qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, AFC teams must secure a berth (currently, semi-finals) through a continental tournament, the AFC U-16 Championship.
| FIFA U-17 World Cup finals record | FIFA U-17 World Cup qualifying record | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Result | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | ||
 1985 | Did Not Qualify | Did Not Qualify | ||||||||||||||||||
 1987 | ||||||||||||||||||||
 1989 | ||||||||||||||||||||
 1991 | ||||||||||||||||||||
 1993 | ||||||||||||||||||||
 1995 | ||||||||||||||||||||
 1997 | ||||||||||||||||||||
 1999 | ||||||||||||||||||||
 2001 | Round 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 17 | –15 | |||||||||||
 2003 | Did Not Qualify | |||||||||||||||||||
 2005 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007 | Round 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8 | –8 | |||||||||||
 2009 | Did Not Qualify | |||||||||||||||||||
 2011 | ||||||||||||||||||||
 2013 | ||||||||||||||||||||
 2015 | Round 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | –2 | |||||||||||
| 2017 | Did Not Qualify | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Disqualified; replaced by Oman | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3/17 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
AFC U-16 Championship
| AFC U-16 Championship finals record | AFC U-16 Championship qualifying record | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Result | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | ||
 1985 | Did Not Qualify | Group 2B (3rd) | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 7 | –2 | ||||||||||
| 1986 | Did Not Enter | |||||||||||||||||||
 1988 | Group 3 (4th) | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 11 | –10 | |||||||||||
| 1990 | Group 4 (2nd) | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | |||||||||||
 1992 | Group 3 (2nd) | 6 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 9 | –5 | |||||||||||
| 1994 | Did Not Enter | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1996 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998 | Group 5 (2nd) | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 1 | +10 | |||||||||||
 2000 | Round 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 17 | -15 | Group 5 (1st) | 9 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 3 | +12 | ||
| 2002 | Did Not Qualify | Did Not Enter | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2004 | Group 6 (2nd) | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | |||||||||||
 2006 | Round 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8 | -8 | Group F (1st) | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | ||
 2008 | Did Not Qualify | Group B (4th) | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 10 | –3 | ||||||||||
| 2010 | Group B (4th) | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 12 | –9 | |||||||||||
 2012 | Group D (4th) | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | −4 | |||||||||||
| 2014 | Round 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | -2 | Group C (1st) | 7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 2 | +6 | ||
| 2016 | Qualified | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Group B (2nd) | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 6 | +1 | ||
| Total | 3/17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13/17 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
SAFF U-16 Championship
| Host/Year | Result | Pts | GP | W | D* | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Third place | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 1 | +6 |
| 2013 | Runner up | 10 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 3 | +13 |
 2015 | Semi-final | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 |
| Total | 3/3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
See also
- Nepal national football team
- Nepal women's national football team
- Nepal national under-20 football team
- Football in Nepal
- AFC Youth Championship
Notes
- 1 2 3 4 Nepal entered the tournament as Lok Smriti High School, a side endorsed by the ANFA Academy to feed into the U16 national team in the following year. Effectively a Nepal U15 side.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Match played against a non-youth senior side.
References
- ↑ Thapa, Sushil. "ANFA Brings Shame To The Country". GoalNepal.com. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
- ↑ "AFC Slaps Fine To Nepal For Fielding Over-Age Players In AFC U16 Championship". GoalNepal.com. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
- ↑ "Nepal qualify for AFC U-16". the-anfa.com. Retrieved 2015-09-20.
- ↑ "U-16 대표팀, 30일 코파멕시코 대회 참가.. 18일 훈련 소집". KFA (in Korean). Retrieved 19 July 2014.
- ↑ "All Nepal Football Association". the-anfa.com. Retrieved 2015-08-02.
External links
- Profile on FIFA (English)
- GoalNepal: Nepal U-16 Profile
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