Ganesh
Thapa, the disgraced former captain and sacked chief of the All Nepal Football
Association (ANFA), is believed to have amassed fame and fortune both through
football. Thapa, the most decorated sportsperson of the country once, has been
kicked out of football by apex football body FIFA one and a half month earlier.
Along
with his ‘popularity’, Thapa is also the most controversial sports figure of
the country. Though his contemporary players like to describe him as a gifted
player, many of them level him an arrogant and cunning person.
His
football career was eclipsed after he was handed a 10-year ban from all
football related activities on November 16 earlier this year for misusing his
power and for personal and family gain.
Apart
from being founding president of South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) for
10-years from 1999, he also succeeded to become the Vice President of Asian
Football Confederation (AFC) in 2011 largely due to blessing of then chief of
Asian governing body chief Mohammed bin Hammam rather than by his personal
capability. However, it is a biggest honor a Nepali football administrator has
achieved at the international level. He was also the Disciplinary Committee Member of 2002 Korea-Japan World
Cup and Organizing Committee member of 1998 France World Cup.
