ANFA President League Football 2082 kicks off in Makwanpur

The ANFA President League Football 2082 began on Wednesday in Hetauda, Makwanpur.

ANFA President Pankaj Bikram Nembang inaugurated the event by handing over the match ball to the match officials. ANFA Vice President Deepak Khatiwada, General Secretary Kiran Rai, Ex-Co members Tika Lama and Purushottam Thapa among other office bearers from province and district football association were also present in the inauguration.

A total of ten teams are competing in this year’s league, which runs until Mangsir 2. The participating clubs include Gaighat Football Club, Deurali Youth Club, Nawa Jagriti Club, Chitlang Football Club, Tigers Team Tikalathali, Jana Jagriti Youth Club, Kakrebihar Youth Club, Bijaya Sports Club, Hairans Club and Laligurans Association Club.

Chitlang Youth Club defeated Deurali Youth Club 4–1 to start their campaign.

Chitlang’s Chandan Kumar Das, Lohan Subba, Vigyan Khadka and Madan Syangtang each found the back of the net. Deurali managed to pull one goal back through Ram Chandra Wazi, but it was not enough to challenge Chitlang’s dominance. For his impressive performance, Chitlang midfielder Jay Gurung was named the Player of the Match.

The second match of the day saw Bijaya Sports Club and Laligurans Association battle to a goalless stalemate. Despite the lack of goals, the match featured competitive play, with Laligurans’ Suraj Thakuri earning the Player of the Match award for his standout effort.

The tournament is being held in a league-cum-knockout format. The champions will receive a cash prize of Rs 1 million, while the runners-up will take home Rs 500,000.

Teams have been divided into two groups, with the top two from each group advancing to the semifinals. Importantly, all semifinalists will qualify for the National League.