By a Staff Reporter
Kathmandu – The Nepal National Volleyball Association (NVA) has announced that Tribhuvan Army Club’s lifter Hari Hajur Thapa has been relieved of his duties as the captain of the Nepal National Men’s Volleyball Team.
According to the General Secretary of NVA Roshan Shrestha, Hari was removed from the captaincy due to his inability to fulfill his responsibilities. The decision was made after the NVA expressed dissatisfaction with Hari’s conduct during the chaotic match between Gandaki Province in the 7th Prime Minister’s Cup Women’s and Men’s NVA National Volleyball Club League. Hari had a heated exchange with the audience, leading the association to question his leadership capabilities.
“His actions demonstrated a lack of leadership ability for the national team,” stated Shrestha. “Therefore, we have decided to relieve him of his captaincy as a disciplinary measure,” Shrestha added.
Hari Hajur had only been appointed as the captain of the national team last month, following Em Rana’s decision to withdraw from national team training. However, Nepal’s performance under his captaincy was less than satisfactory, with the team losing all six matches in the CAVA Nations League held in Kyrgyzstan.
In addition to Hari’s removal, the NVA has taken further disciplinary actions against players involved in the incident during the PM Cup. Dhana Bahadur Bhatta, a spiker from the national team and Tribhuvan Army Club, has been banned from participating in national and international matches for six months by the performance committee of the association.
Rajendra Bista, another member of the national team from the Army, and Dhanapati Kunwar, who also expressed their frustration towards the crowd during the same incident, have been handed three-month bans. Durga Bahadur Khadka, on the other hand, has received a warning from the association.
Furthermore, the referees of the disputed match, Chitra Gurung and Anil Rana, have also faced consequences. They have been prohibited from serving as referees in the club championship and club league.
When the Army team was trailing 23-24, a spike hit by a Gandaki player was ruled out by the referee, resulting in a tied score of 24-24. The dispute arose when the Gandaki players claimed that they had been interfered with by the Army players during their attempt to block the spike. Meanwhile, the incident escalated as the Army players struggled to contain themselves when spectators from the stands threw bottles and provoked them.
Amid the chaos, Dhana Bahadur attempted to punch the spectator. The incident significantly weakened the Army team, which was considered a top contender for the title. Subsequently, the Army suffered defeats of 3-0 against Nepal Police Club and 3-1 against Help Nepal, resulting in their elimination from the competition.
