2021–22 Martyr's Memorial A-Division League
Football league season
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The 2021–22 Martyr's Memorial A-Division League (Nepali: शहीद स्मारक ए डिभिजन लिग २०७८), also known as the Qatar Airways Martyr's Memorial A-Division League for sponsorship reasons,[4] was the 44th edition of Nepal's Martyr's Memorial A-Division League since its establishment in 1954-55. A total of 14 teams competed in the league.
Brigade Boys Club
| Season | 2021–22 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 19 November 2021[1] – 26 February 2022 |
| Champions | Machhindra FC |
| Relegated | Chyasal Youth Club Brigade Boys Club |
| AFC Cup | Machhindra F.C. |
| Matches | 91 |
| Goals | 190 (2.09 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Jamoul Francois (7 goals)[a] |
| Highest scoring | 7 goals FC 5–2 BBC |
| Longest winning run | 7 games Machhindra |
| Longest unbeaten run | 13 games Tribhuvan Army Machhindra |
| Longest winless run | 9 games Friends Club |
| Longest losing run | 3 games Nepal APF Club Brigade Boys Chyasal Youth Club Jawalakhel YC Friends Club |
| Highest attendance | 11,000[3] |
| Lowest attendance | 200[citation needed] |
← 2019–20 2023 →
All statistics correct as of 26 February 2022. | |
Machhindra F.C. were the defending champions.[5] Due to time constraints, as the league was to finish after the qualification cut-off, the All Nepal Football Association decided that, rather than the eventual winner, the top team after matchday 7, Machhindra F.C., would represent the league in the 2022 AFC Cup preliminary round 1.[6]
The league was scheduled to begin on 19 September 2021[7] but the date was pushed back to 15 November 2021 after multiple participating clubs demanded to postpone the league start due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal.[8] It was finally scheduled to be played from 19 November and matches were to be played only on weekends as opposed to being played throughout the week as had been the case during the previous seasons.[1]
On 16 February 2022, after matchday 11, Machhindra F.C. were crowned as league winners for the second consecutive time.[9]
Teams
A total of 14 teams, all based in the Kathmandu Valley, contested the league with a relegation system. Thirteen teams from the 2019–20 season and one team promoted from the B-Division participated in the league. Satdobato Youth Club, who debuted in the A-Division league, replaced Saraswoti Youth Club who were relegated after five seasons in the league. Prior to the season, Nepal Army Club reverted their name back to Tribhuvan Army F.C.,[10] a name that the team had used until the 2010 season.
Location
| Team | Location | Previous Season |
|---|---|---|
| Himalayan Sherpa Club | Kathmandu | 10th |
| Machhindra F.C. | 1st | |
| Nepal APF Club | 12th | |
| Tribhuvan Army F.C. | 2nd | |
| Nepal Police Club | 5th | |
| New Road Team | 8th | |
| Sankata BSC | 7th | |
| Brigade Boys Club | Lalitpur | 13th |
| Chyasal Youth Club | 9th | |
| Friends Club | 11th | |
| Jawalakhel YC | 6th | |
| Satdobato Youth Club | 1st (2020 B-Division) | |
| Three Star Club | 4th | |
| Manang Marshyangdi Club | Kathmandu[b] | 3rd |
Personnel and kits
| Team | Head Coach | Captain | Kit Manufacturer | Shirt Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brigade Boys Club |  Sanoj Shrestha |
Anil Gurung[12] |
MFashionista | Khukri Rum |
| Chyasal Youth Club | Bal Gopal Sahukhala |
Biraj Maharjan |
Ucan | |
| Friends Club | Mrigendra Mishra |
Prakash Budhathoki[13] |
Ucan | |
| Himalayan Sherpa Club | Yugal Kishor Rai |
Bishwas Shrestha[14] |
KTM CTY | Nepal Ice |
| Jawalakhel YC | Kishor K.C. |
Kuldip Karki |
Li-Ning | |
| Machhindra F.C. | Prabesh Katuwal[15] |
Sujal Shrestha |
T10 Sports | Pepe Pizza, Surf Excel[16] |
| Manang Marshyangdi Club | Rajendra Tamang |
Anjan Bista |
KTM CTY | Nepal Oil Corporation |
| Nepal APF Club | Kumar Thapa |
Top Bahadur Bista |
Kelme | Agni Mahindra |
| Nepal Police Club | Ananta Raj Thapa |
Ram Chandra Wajee |
Kelme | |
| New Road Team | Raju Kaji Shakya[17] |
Bikram Dhimal |
Kelme | |
| Sankata BSC | Bishnu Gurung |
Ravi Silwal |
Ucan | Himalayan Bank[18] |
| Satdobato Youth Club | Megh Raj K.C.[19] |
Man Bahadur Tamang |
T10 Sports | Golden Oak |
| Tribhuvan Army F.C. | Nabin Neupane |
Bharat Khawas |
Kelme | Kedia Group |
| Three Star Club | Urjan Shrestha[20] |
Bikram Lama[21] |
Adidas | Ruslan |
Foreign players
All Nepal Football Association allowed every team a maximum of four foreign players, including one from a SAARC-affiliated country.[22] For the first time, one of the departmental teams, APF Club, signed foreign players.[23]
| Club | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 | SAARC Player | Former Player |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brigade Boys Club |  Bertrand Ebode[24] |
Ruddy Mbakop[24] |
Dady Wamba Jr[24] |
 Gurpreet Singh Chhabal[25] |
|
| Chyasal Youth Club |  Bikash Meraglia[26] |
Moussa Abagana |
Ketcha Wannick |
Vijay Ponnurangam[27] |
Shem Marton[28] |
| Friends Club |  Nathaniel García |
Jomoul Francois[29] |
Ronnell Paul |
Rahul Yadav[30] |
|
| Himalayan Sherpa Club | Ulrich Siewe[31] |
 Pistone Mutamba[citation needed] |
 Reo Nakamura[32] |
Moinuddin Khan[33] |
|
| Jawalakhel YC | Njimi Loic[34] |
 Florent Koara[35] |
Onguna Nkengue Junior |
Nicholas Fernandes[36] |
|
| Machhindra Football Club |  Nurlan Novruzov[37] |
Sadig Guliyev[37] |
Andres Nia |
Sonam Bhutia[38] |
 Kareem Omolaja |
| Manang Marshyangdi Club | Franklin Kuete |
Oluwaunmi Somide |
Afeez Olawale Oladipo |
Dayananda Singh Elangbam[39] |
|
| Nepal APF Club | Kuriyama Yuya[23] |
 Adama Doumbiya |
 Armand Beadum |
||
| Nepal Police Club | |||||
| New Road Team | Messouke Oloumou[17] |
Stephane Samir[17] |
Andre Thierry Biyik Biyik |
||
| Sankata BSC | Oluwasogo Glory Odeh |
 Fode Fofana |
Jordan Junior Owana |
Uttam Rai[40] |
|
| Satdobato Youth Club | Peter Segun[41] |
Ajayi Martins Kayode |
Martin Adelphe Silo Nanga |
||
| Tribhuvan Army F.C. | |||||
| Three Star Club | Raphael Bidias Rim[42] |
Yves Priso[43] |
 Ansumana Kromah |
Shem Marton[44] |
Lalrammawia Rammawia[45] |
Venues
The league was scheduled to be played centrally in two venues in two cities in the Kathmandu Valley.[4] Initially, ANFA Complex was chosen to be the third venue in the Valley.[citation needed] Selected matches of Manang Marsyangdi Club were held in Pokhara to honour the club's origins, making it the first season with matches outside of the Kathmandu Valley.[46] From matchday 13 onwards, ANFA Complex was reintroduced as a venue.[47]
| Kathmandu | Lalitpur | Pokhara | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dasarath Rangasala | Chyasal Stadium[c] | ANFA Complex[47] | Pokhara Rangasala |
| Capacity: 20,000 | Capacity: 10,000 | Capacity: 6,000[citation needed] | Capacity: 18,500 |
 |
|||
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Machhindra FC (C, Q) | 13 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 2 | +18 | 35 | Qualification for 2022 AFC Cup preliminary round 1[d] |
| 2 | Tribhuvan Army F.C. | 13 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 8 | +8 | 23 | |
| 3 | New Road Team | 13 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 16 | 10 | +6 | 23 | |
| 4 | Satdobato Youth Club | 13 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 11 | +3 | 21 | |
| 5 | Manang Marshyangdi Club | 13 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 19 | 12 | +7 | 21 | |
| 6 | Three Star Club | 13 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 12 | 7 | +5 | 19 | |
| 7 | Sankata BSC | 13 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 12 | 11 | +1 | 16 | |
| 8 | Nepal APF Club | 13 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 16 | 17 | −1 | 15 | |
| 9 | Jawalakhel YC | 13 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 11 | 14 | −3 | 14 | |
| 10 | Himalayan Sherpa Club | 13 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 12 | 15 | −3 | 14 | |
| 11 | Nepal Police Club | 13 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 10 | 15 | −5 | 12 | |
| 12 | Friends Club | 13 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 17 | 22 | −5 | 11 | |
| 13 | Brigade Boys Club (R) | 13 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 24 | −14 | 8 | Relegation to 2025 Martyr's Memorial B-Division League |
| 14 | Chyasal Youth Club (R) | 13 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 5 | 22 | −17 | 6 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) head-to-head.
(C) Champions; (Q) Qualified for the phase indicated; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- Chyasal Stadium was named one of the three central venues, however, no matches were played at the stadium.[citation needed]
Results
Positions by round
| Leader | |
| Relegation to B-Division |
Season statistics
Scoring
Top goalscorers
As of 26 February 2022
| Rank | Player | Team | Goals[48] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jomoul Francois[a] |
Friends Club | 7 |
| Messouke Oloumou |
New Road Team | ||
| 2 | Sunil Bal |
Machhindra | 6 |
| Ajayi Martins Kayode |
Satdobato Youth Club | ||
| Olawale Afeez Oladipo |
Manang Marshyangdi Club | ||
| 3 | Aashish Lama |
Nepal APF Club | 5 |
| Anjan Bista |
Manang Marshyangdi Club | ||
| Uttam Rai |
Sankata BSC | ||
| 4 | Bikki Tamang |
Nepal APF Club | 4 |
| Bimal Gharti Magar |
Machhindra FC | ||
| Darshan Gurung |
New Road Team | ||
| George Prince Karki |
Tribhuvan Army | ||
| Nathaniel García |
Friends Club | ||
| Pistone Mutamba |
Himalayan Sherpa Club | ||
| Suman Lama |
Nepal Police Club |
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ajayi Martins Kayode |
Satdobato Youth Club | Nepal APF Club | 4–1[49] | 3 December 2021 |
| Afeez Olawale Oladipo |
Manang Marshyangdi Club | Chyasal Youth Club | 5–0[50] | 8 January 2022 |
| Messouke Oloumou |
New Road Team | Nepal Police Club | 3–1[51] | 26 February 2022 |
Clean sheets
| Rank | Player | Team | Clean sheets[48] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bishal Shrestha |
Machhindra | 11 |
| 2 | Yves Priso |
Three Star Club | 6 |
| 3 | Ajit Prajapati |
New Road Team | 5 |
| Bikesh Kuthu |
Tribhuvan Army | ||
| Raja Babu Thapa |
Sankata BSC | ||
| 4 | Abhishek Baral |
Satdobato Youth Club | 4 |
| Tikendra Singh Thapa |
Jawalakhel Youth Club | ||
| 5 | Bishal Sunar |
Manang Marshyangdi Club | 3 |
| Kuriyama Yuya |
Nepal APF Club |
Awards
End-of-season awards
| Award | Winner[52] | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Player of the Season | Sunil Bal |
Machhindra F.C. |
| Emerging Player | Dinesh Henjan |
Tribhuvan Army |
| Top Scorer | Jomoul Francois |
Friends Club |
| Best Goalkeeper | Bishal Shrestha |
Machhindra F.C. |
| Fair Play | Satdobato Youth Club | |
Broadcast rights
Selected matches were broadcast live on Kantipur Television.[53]
All matches were also streamed live on Eleven Sports.[54]