Nepal’s newly appointed national men’s football coach, Matt Ross, has set his sights on winning the SAFF Championship later this year.
The All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) appointed the Australian coach for a one-year term, effective from Sunday. In a press conference held at the ANFA Complex in Satdobato on Monday, Ross shared his goal of winning the upcoming SAFF Championship.
He also expressed his hopes for achieving good results in the Asian Cup Qualifiers. According to Ross, the Nepal national team has talented players, and he also sees potential in the women’s team.
Ross highlighted that some players in the squad have exceptional skills and drew attention to his past experience working with top teams like Iceland in world football. He believes that for football development, it is essential to invest in players and coaches at the grassroots level.
Expressing his excitement to work with the Nepal team, he mentioned that he had observed players during the KP Oli Cup and the football competition in Jhapa. He is eager to collaborate with the coaching staff and players to achieve success.
Although he acknowledges that achieving success will come with many challenges, he enjoys taking on challenges and that is why he took up the role of coach. He also emphasized that semi-professional football players in Australia always have opportunities, leaving the door open for those players.
Ross believes in creating a strong team and mentioned that the Nepali U-20 team also has outstanding players, emphasizing that he does not want to lose any of them. He remarked that the passion and enthusiasm for football in Nepal is unbelievable, and his main responsibility will be to unite that passion and elevate Nepali football to new heights.
Ross also mentioned watching the Nepal women’s team’s match against Myanmar, where the energy of the players and the atmosphere on the field were highly motivating. His key mission is to bring all the enthusiasm together and guide Nepali football to greater success.
He has extensive experience, having spent around 20 years coaching football teams across various countries and clubs. Ross is confident that creating a positive environment within the team will help Nepal achieve success.
