By a Staff Reporter
Kathmandu – Nepal’s national football team’s captain Navyug Shrestha has revealed that 11 senior players did not leave the training camp by themselves in late April.
Upon his return after playing in the Asian Cup 2023 on Thursday, Shrestha said that the 11 players were told to leave the training camp by chief coach Abdullah Al Mutairi.
“The players did not leave the camp themselves as they stand accused of. They left the camp after the chief coach told them they could leave the training,” said Shrestha, after arriving at Tribhuvan International Airport.
“Whether the coach returns or not is ANFA’s concern. We don’t know anything about it,” he added.
Shrestha added that his team could not play as expected but it provided an opportunity for new players to display their skills.
“We could not qualify but the new players’ performance was satisfactory.”
Shrestha added that the team’s performance was affected due to the absence of regular players.
“Perhaps the result would have different if we had some experienced players in the team,” he further said.
