By Sachit Subba • Off-Field • Jun 20, 2025 03:49 AM • 89 views
In a ruling that sends shockwaves through Nepali football, Three Star Club — once the crown jewel of domestic football — has officially lost its top-flight status. The All Nepal Football Association's (ANFA) appeal committee on Thursday confirmed that the Lalitpur-based club fielded ineligible players in a controversial 1-0 victory over Jawalakhel Youth Club two years ago, a match that ultimately helped them avoid relegation at the expense of APF Football Club. The decision retroactively overturns the result, awarding a 3-0 win to Jawalakhel and dropping Three Star below the relegation threshold. For a club that once graced international tournaments and carried the hopes of thousands, it is a humiliating fall from grace — one marred by administrative errors, internal corruption, and a long-standing failure of governance within Nepal's footballing system.
The Match That Changed Everything
The match in question — played on 28 Jestha 2080 (June 2023) — raised eyebrows when Three Star pulled off a narrow 1-0 win to escape relegation. The Armed Police Force (APF) Club, who were relegated as a result, filed an immediate complaint alleging that Three Star had fielded two foreign players — Peter Segun and Ajay Martins — whose visas had already expired. According to FIFA regulations and ANFA competition guidelines, any player without a valid visa or clearance cannot be registered to play. APF's argument was clear: the game should be awarded to Jawalakhel by default, with Three Star sanctioned for breaching rules. While the ANFA Disciplinary Committee had earlier validated the claims of illegality, it only issued fines — a decision both Three Star and APF appealed. That dispute has now culminated in Thursday's verdict: Three Star forfeit the match 3-0, effectively sealing their relegation.
Systemic Failure and A Culture of Complicity
What should have been a clear-cut disciplinary matter quickly evolved into a complex web of bureaucratic negligence and political shielding? At the centre of the storm lies FIFA Connect — the online registration portal through which all players must be verified by ANFA before they can be fielded.
In a damning revelation, former ANFA employee Amit Khatri, who managed FIFA Connect during the league season, told Khiladi.com that he was ordered by ANFA leadership to register the two players, even after repeatedly warning that they were ineligible.
"I was pressured to register them even though I knew their visas had expired. I informed the club and ANFA leadership on time. Initially, they were benched for one match, but later, I was directly told: 'Just do it. We'll handle the consequences later.' So I followed orders," Khatri said.
Khatri has also stated he is willing to testify if summoned by any investigative body and can name the officials who gave the directive — a revelation that could implicate top ANFA leadership in manipulating league outcomes.
Whose Fault Is It?
The appeal committee's decision, although conclusive, underscores deeper issues. ANFA, the very body tasked with safeguarding the integrity of Nepali football, is now accused of enabling and possibly engineering a regulatory breach. The fact that Three Star's ineligible players were successfully registered in FIFA Connect — an ANFA-controlled system — throws up uncomfortable questions. "It does not appear to be the fault of either club," an anonymous ANFA official admitted. "If APF had no role in this, then Three Star could have rightly questioned how ANFA itself approved players ineligible under immigration law." But while the procedural confusion muddied the waters, the appeal committee stood firm: the use of ineligible players violated both national and international football laws. And regardless of who allowed it, the club must bear the competitive consequence.
End of an Era
For Three Star Club, a team with a rich legacy, packed trophy cabinet, and passionate supporters, this relegation marks a historic low. Once hailed for its style and structure, the club has gradually slipped into decline — with this latest blow possibly pushing them toward crisis. It also raises a grim precedent. If registration systems can be manipulated and accountability diluted through chain-of-command ambiguity, what does it say about the future of fair play in Nepali football?
What's Next?
While both clubs await formal letters confirming the ruling, the verdict is already reshaping the league landscape. APF are likely to seek reinstatement, while questions mount over whether any ANFA official will be held responsible for registering ineligible players — a move that may have unfairly altered the fate of three clubs.
In the words of one official:
"This should never have happened. But it did — and now, we must deal with the consequences." And for Three Star Club, those consequences are catastrophic. The once-great side has fallen — not from lack of talent but from a system that failed everyone.
