KICK OFF: Amir Shrestha in action.

Ex-Nepali national footballer dreams of
opening a football club back in Nepal
one day. By Usha Wagle Gautam
Once a professional footballer representing the national team of Nepal, Amir Shrestha now works in Qatar to earn a living for his family. He remembers the days when he would represent his country in football matches at the international Dasarath Stadium in Kathmandu. He would travel far and wide across Nepal to play with and inspire local football talents.
Now he works as an excavator operator in Qatar. Back then Shrestha had not given even a thought to coming abroad to work — he says he had only sports running through his veins. But then the country dived into civil war, industries closed, trade shrunk, and unemployment soared. The country’s finest people, including Shrestha, were also forced to go abroad to earn a living.
Shrestha is from a plain south of Kathmandu, the country’s capital. He entered professional football through an under-19 tournament, after which he was inducted into All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) Academy.
Late Lalit Krishna Shrestha, the then vice-chairman of ANFA, helped him get a contract with Three Star Club in 2006. His skills on the pitch made him a very sought-after player, and after playing for one year with Three Star, he joined the Armed Police Force Club.
After two years, he played for Machhindra Club for one year. He left the club to play for Manang Marshyangdi Club for three years. He also played matches for the national team.
Just days before the earthquake that struck Nepal earlier this year, Shrestha came to Qatar after playing his last match for Lumbini Jagadamba Club.
He says he moved to Qatar because he didn’t see any prospects for his future. His only skill was football, and he wouldn’t be able to make money off of it once he retires. He had his family to worry about — his wife, a two-year-old daughter, a college-going brother and his parents.
Still, he says he cannot forget the game that helped him earn fame. He has inspired children from the hinterlands to play football. His home in Kirtipur, a satellite town in Kathmandu Valley, is full of certificates, medals and trophies that he has won.
But he hasn’t completely given up on his dreams. A few days after coming to Qatar, he showcased his football skills in a friendly match organised by Qatar-based Nepalese Football Team (NFT). He plans to continue playing football for NFT in Qatar.
His is not a unique story, though. Shrestha’s former football friends are working all over the global map, from Europe to Australia. He feels thankful to Qatar for hosting him and giving him a good platform to earn a decent living.
In Nepal, everybody including the government forgets a player after he or she is unable to play, he says. So, most players wish to come abroad to work. In the long term, Shrestha hopes to open up a football club in Hetauda, his birthplace. He believes it will take him about five years of saving up in Qatar to achieve that dream.
For now, he is content. “I am happy with my work in Qatar and I get to play football with the [NFT] during my free time.”