KATHMANDU: India and Afghanistan will rock Dasrath Rangsala for the title of eighth SAFF Championship 2013 on Wednesday evening.

India has won the title for five times so far and though its perfomance in this tournament has not been goood, it neverthless has defeated Aghanistan earlier in 2011 to claim the trophy.

Meanwhile two Afghanistani cabinet ministers and four other senior officials have arrived in Kathmandu to watch the match.

The entourage includes Education Minister Ghulam Farooq Wardak, Finance Minister Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal, Rural Rehabilitation and Development Minister Qais Ahmad Barmak and Ambassador of Afghanistan to India, Shaida Mohd Abdali, who holds Cabinet-rank, according to a correspondence sent by Embassy of Afghanistan in New Delhi to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nepal.

Next SAFF Championship in India

Kathmandu: The South Asian Football Federation on Tuesday decided to organise the ninth SAFF Championship in India. The meeting decided to award the hosting right to India complying with the contract with the main sponsors, World Sports Group. “As per our contract with the WSG, we have to organise the tournament in India in every alternate year,” said SAFF General Secretary Alberto Colaco. He informed the meeting decided to amend the statute “in order to raise the profile of SAFF.” The meeting also decided to initiate Club Championship and SAFF U-19 Championship and hosting of Women’s SAFF Championship in Pakistan next year.

KATHMANDU: On the inaugural match of the Eighth SAFF Championship on Saturday, Nepal beat Bangladesh by 2-0.

During the match played at the Dasharath Stadium in the Capital, striker Anil Gurung (Jersey No.10) scored the first goal on the tournament via a header from a corner pass by Bhola Silwal (Jersey No. 17) at the 17th minute of the match.

Striker Bharat Khawas (Jersey No.21) added the second goal at the 31st minute for Nepal.

Earlier, Nepal had organised the SAF game for the first time in 1997.

Bangladesh, India, Bhutan, Maldives, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal would play the match in this edition.

In the last match of the SAF Championship, Nepal had outplayed Bangladesh with 1-0.

Among the SAF championships organised so far, Nepal has experienced victory once but was defeated for three times by Bangladesh.

The NAFEA also marked its 21st anniversary while the famous player also marked his birthday on the same day.

Likewise, the NAFEA awarded the national cricket team with Rs 75,000 for lifting the ICC World Cricket League Division 3 in Bermuda.

The 16-member team is led by Kesang Thokya Thakuri while Saugat Singh Baniya is the Vice-captain. Other members of the team are Ajay Kunwar, Anish Magar, Soharat Shah, Suraj Lama, Sujan Senchuri, Denjo Gurung, Praush Shrestha, Chhewang Jhakri, Sandesh Tamang and Sudip Acharya.

This is the second time Nepal is going to take part in the event, coach Biku Maharjan said. Bangladesh, India and Maldives are also participating in the tournament.  The winner team will qualify for the Asian U-16 Basketball Championship to be held in Tehran of Iran in coming September.

KATHMANDU: The All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) has provided an apartment to Captain of the National Football Team, Sagar Thapa.

UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ handed over a bunch of key of an apartment of the Mero City to Captain Thapa.

The 28-year-old footballer was provided with the apartment worth Rs 3.3 million for his outstanding performance in national and international football matches for long.

Thapa had played the ‘A’ Division League Football from Friends’ Club a decade ago. Similarly, Thapa had scored a mouthwatering goal against Bangladesh in SAF Championship Football Competition held in New Delhi, India, on December 4, 2011. The goal was ranked as the top five popular goals in the world.

On the occasion, Dahal said that he would hold talks with the Chinese and Indian officials for their support to construct an international-level stadium in Nepal. The UCPN (Maoist) Chairman is leaving for China on April 14.

Likewise, Member Secretary of the National Sports Council Yubraj Lama said that such honors to the sportspersons would help increase their dedication to the sports sector.Also speaking on the occasion, ANFA Chairman Ganesh Thapa said the apartment was provided to the player to help the players for their better livelihood.

Similarly, apartment winner Thapa said the prize has added to responsibility in him and would carry out maximum efforts for better results in the upcoming SAF Championship Football Competition.Earlier, national footballer Rakesh Shrestha had also received an apartment for his contribution to football.

As per the memorandum of understanding signed on Tuesday, the Bank would provide Rs 2 million to the Three Star Club annually for the next three years. Earlier, Mega Bank had sponsored the Three Star Club with Rs 1.76 million, which ended earlier this year. The Western Union Money Transfer is the cosponsor of the Three Star Club.

With the new signing, the sponsorship amount of Three Star Club has equaled that of Himalayan Sherpa Club. The Yeti Airlines has sponsored the Himalayan Sherpa with Rs 2 million annually.

Similarly, Him Shree Electronics has sponsored the Jawalakhel Youth Club with Rs 1.8 million while Nepal Telecom is sponsoring Nepal Police Club with Rs 1.6 million every year.

Likewise, Nepal Investment Bank has sponsored the Friends’ Club with Rs 1.5 million.

KATHMANDU: Nepal defeated Malaysia by 19 runs in the ACC Twenty20 Cup on Saturday during a match played at the Tribhuvan University cricket ground.

With the win, Nepal ensured its entry into the Semi-Final with the 87 run contribution of skipper Paras Khadka. Nepal had posted a score of 163 runs for the Malaysians to chase after they batted first by loosing toss.
However the Malaysian batting line crumbled to the aggressive bowling of the Nepali team and all of the batsmen returned to pavilion with 19 runs more to win the match.

The hosts defeated Maldives by 76 runs to kick off the campaign for the tournament trophy with a win.

Put into bat after losing the toss, Nepal posted a total of 171 runs in the stipulated 20 overs at the loss of 5 wickets.

Pradeep Aire was the top scorer for Nepal with 59 runs including 4 sixes and 8 fours. Sharad Bheswakar (36), Subas Khakurel (26), Manjit Shrestha (20) and Binod Bhandari (15) were other significant contributors to the Nepali total.

In reply, Maldives could muster only 95 runs at the loss of 7 wickets in their full quota of 20 overs. Paras Khadka was the pick of the bowlers, who took two wickets and gave away just 7 runs. Shakti Gauchan, Manjit Shrestha, Basant Regmi and Sanjam Regmi took one wicket each.

Nepal will play Hong Kong in its second match tomorrow.

British world number three Andy Murray cruised to a straightforward victory over Bernard Tomic at the Sony Open but the Williams sisters had contrasting fortunes in Miami on Saturday.

Top ranked Serena overcame a slow start to turn away Japan’s Ayumi Morita 6-3 6-3 in third round play, but Venus was forced to withdraw from the tournament with a back injury.
Murray, meanwhile, needed only 56 minutes to defeat sluggish Australian Tomic 6-3 6-1 in his second round match.
“I don’t know if he was tired or struggling with the humidity, but he was playing pretty low percentage tennis,” Murray told reporters. “With the conditions like they were today, that played into my hands.”
The 2009 Miami champion won 80 percent of his first service points and broke Tomic twice in each set to improve to 2-0 all-time against the Australian.
Murray, runner-up to world number one Novak Djokovic last year, will face Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov in the third round. Dimitrov was leading 6-4 1-1 when Italy’s Simone Bolelli was forced to retire.
Serena Williams, seeking a record sixth Miami title, fell 3-0 behind in the first set against her Japanese opponent but capitalised on four of her six break points to win.
The loss left Morita 0-19 against top 10 players, while Serena reamined on course to break a tie with Steffi Graf for the most singles titles in the tournament.
Venus Williams, however, pulled out of the tournament with a lower back injury before her match with fellow American Sloane Stephens.
“This is just the kind of tournament you want to play well at,” Venus said. “But I have faced disappointments in my life and my career. It’s not the first and probably not the last.”
Spanish wildcard Garbine Muguruza Blanco delivered the day’s biggest stunner, eliminating ninth seed Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark 6-2 6-4 in 81 minutes.
Fifth seed Li Na of China, playing her first tournament since injuring her ankle in the Australian Open final, dismissed American Varvara Lepchenko 6-2 6-4.
Polish defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska collected a 7-6 2-6 6-3 win over Slovakia’s Magdalena Rybarikova to advance to the fourth round.
In other men’s second round play, Frenchmen Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Richard Gasquet both won.
Tsonga defeated Serb Viktor Troicki 7-6 6-3, Gasquet turned back Belgium’s Olivier Rochus 7-5 6-2 and American Sam Querrey beat Poland’s Lukasz Kubot 4-6 6-3 6-3.