Nepal fields a squad with many unemployed players against Vietnam

The Nepal team came to Vietnam for the final Asian Cup 2027 qualifying round with a lineup struggling with personnel issues, as many players are presently without club contracts.

Ahead of the crucial match in the final round of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers tonight at 7:30 PM on October 9 at Gò Đậu Stadium (Bình Dương), Nepal has arrived with a squad facing difficulties in both quality and experience. Many players are currently unemployed, lacking club affiliation and having to maintain fitness on their own, which poses a tough personnel challenge for coach Matt Ross.

Head coach Matt Ross candidly stated: “The truth is that more than half of my squad are free agents right now. They don’t have clubs, and this might be something the Vietnamese media isn’t aware of. A few players compete in Bangladesh, one in the Maldives, one in Cambodia, and the rest are unemployed.”

In reality, many Nepalese players are currently without professional contracts. Veteran midfielder Rohit Chand, once valued at 375,000 euros, has yet to find a new club after parting ways with Persik Kediri (Indonesia) in July. Goalkeeper Bishal Sunar has been unemployed for over a year since leaving Latipur City in February 2024.

Similar situations affect midfielder Sumit Shrestha and Rohan Karki, leading coach Matt Ross to admit: “I have to be honest, they lack the conditions to train properly since they don’t belong to any club. They don’t play weekly matches, so I can’t ignore the fact that after our game against Laos in June, we had nothing in July and August. Then one match against Bangladesh in September, and now we face one of Southeast Asia’s strongest teams.”

Nevertheless, Nepal’s squad still includes 12 players competing abroad, with eight in Bangladesh, three others in Indonesia, Cambodia, and the Maldives, plus striker Subash Thakuri in the Philippines. Notably, goalkeeper Kiran Chemjong, 35, the captain with 107 international caps, and striker Anjan Bista, 27, who has scored 13 goals in 70 matches, stand out. The Nepalese attack also features young talents, including 17-year-old Subash Thakuri and 15-year-old Spandan Nepal.

Currently, Nepal sits at the bottom of Group F with two losses against Malaysia and Laos, while Vietnam is second with 3 points. A win over Nepal is a crucial goal for Vietnam to continue competing with Malaysia, despite possible ranking changes following AFC sanctions on the Southeast Asian team.