‘Coaching national team is big opportunity for me’

By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, Aug 19 : Pradip Humagain said the responsibility to coach the national football team for the international friendly against Bangladesh was a big opportunity for him.

Talking to the press at ANFA Complex, Lalitpur on Thursday, Humagain said he was very grateful to the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) for believing in him and appointing him as an acting coach of the national men’s football team.

Nepal will take on its regional rival Bangladesh in an international friendly to mark FIFA Day on September 27 at Dasharath Stadium.

The AFC A Licenced Coach Humagain said he would be preparing the team for the victory. “I will prepare the team for the victory against one of the best sides of South Asia.” He kicked off the closed training on Thursday.  “I imparted a theoretical lesson in my first session today. Our ground training will start on Friday at the ground of Tribhuvan Army Club,” Humagain said.

“Though Nepali football has been inactive for a few months, there are enough days to prepare for the friendly match”, he added. In the absence of Head Coach Abdullah Almutairi, ANFA appointed Humagain as the acting coach of the national team. Almutairi is on three months’ leave.

Humagain, who renounced Nepali citizenship to be a US citizen two years ago, said he is back in his birthplace to lead the Nepali team to victory. In his coaching career, he led Three Star Club to the Martyrs Memorial A Division League title in 2013. He also coached Lalitpur Patriots in the Nepal Super League.