Clock Ticks on Nepal as SAFF Confirms November 9 Kickoff in Dhaka
Tuesday, the South Asian Football Federation published the match programme for the 15th SAFF Championship in Dhaka, despite uncertainty about Nepal. Mark November 9 on your calendar. India, the nine-time champion, will open with a match against Pakistan, giving Group B an immediate top-level clash. The action begins at 3:45 p.m. local time in Nepal. The host country, Bangladesh, will play Bhutan that evening at 8:15 p.m. to begin its Group A campaign. The tournament continues until 17 November and follows a single round-robin system. The top two teams in each group advance to the semifinals, leaving little margin for early mistakes. The Maldives complete the three-team Group B lineup, so the race for advancement should be close. The fixture list has a serious and inescapable limitation. FIFA suspended the All Nepal Football Association on Asar 11 after discovering direct government interference in the sport. At the first group draw on August 1 in Thimphu, Bhutan, Nepal was conditionally placed in Group A with Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Bhutan, but its status remains uncertain. The federation established a strict deadline of September 30 for FIFA to remove the full ban.  The organisers did not wait until the deadline day itself and released the schedule 15 days early. SAFF executives said they will prepare and publish a revised match schedule if international authorities approve Nepal's participation. For now, the region is focusing on the confirmed matches. India has experience in championship tournaments and will aim to start strongly. Pakistan will look for an opening-day surprise, knowing a win over the defending champions would shift the group standings. The Maldives may capitalise on defensive mistakes and could shift the balance of power. Host Bangladesh will need three points early against Bhutan to advance from Group A. Sri Lanka will complete the group and aim to pick up points. The officials in Kathmandu will be keeping a close eye on the situation, since the tournament structure could change overnight. While FIFA has not yet decided on the suspension, the opening-day timetable still features one of the most intense rivalries in international sports.
