Nepal earthquake affects Ghanaian player

The devastating earthquake that hit Nepal on April 25 this year has forced the Nepal Football Association to suspend the A Division league, thus affecting  a former Mighty Jets player featuring in the league.

“Many of the stadia used for top class football were damaged, making it impossible for them to be used for competitive matches” the Ghanaian soccer star, Elvis Appiah Sarfo told  the Daily Graphic in an interview .

 He said the suspension of the league was denying them the opportunity to train and play competitive football.  According to the player,  no footballer had  so far been reported dead  or injured from the devastating earthquake.

He, however, indicated that a sports journalist, identified as Suman Bomjan, from the Gorkha Patra daily newspaper  who got missing when the earthquake struck  was later found dead.

Throwing more light on the quake, and its effect on football he noted, ” the earthquake has affected football in Nepal so much because many of the stadia used for our A Division league matches were severely damaged. They have cracks all over, and since football pitches are regarded as safe grounds for residents, about 85 per cent of them always converge on the pitches and use them as resting and sleeping places. 

We were about to finish the first round of the league when the earthquake struck, forcing the league to be suspended,” he explained.

He said the national stadium of Nepal was also damaged, making it impossible for it to be used for any competitive match. 

Sarfo, who started playing in Nepal three years ago, is an offensive midfielder who features prominently for Three Star Club - a Division A side in Nepal. He first signed for Jawalakhel Youth Club, also a Division A club in Nepal before switching clubs when the current league season began.