KATHMANDU: The Lalitpur District Court has ordered the release of All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) treasurer Rabindra Joshi and accounts officer Sanjeev Pandey on bail. A bench led by District Judge Bhagawati Sharma Dhungana issued the order on Friday, setting the bail amount at Rs 1.5 million for Joshi and Rs 1.2 million for Pandey.
Both officials were arrested by the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police, and a case was filed against them on Thursday. The District Government Attorney’s Office has demanded a recovery of Rs 9.3 million in damages. While Joshi and Pandey are currently in custody, ANFA president Pankaj Bikram Nembang and general secretary Kiran Rai have been listed as absconding defendants.
The charges against the officials include collusion in shifting a FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier match, originally scheduled for March 21, 2024, at Dasharath Stadium, to Bahrain. It is alleged that the stadium’s pitch was made unfit for international play by allowing non-sporting events, leading to a collusive agreement to play the home match in Bahrain. Nepal lost that match 5-0 and 3-0.
Prosecutors also allege the misappropriation of 20,000 US dollars (approximately Rs 2.6 million) in ticket sales revenue from the Bahrain match, which was reportedly not deposited into the official ANFA account. Furthermore, investigations revealed violations of financial procedures, specifically the procurement of sports equipment worth Rs 6.6 million under the AFC ‘Extra Time Project’. The equipment was allegedly purchased at rates higher than the approved estimate by creating a facade of competition between three companies under common ownership, causing financial loss to the association.
