Kathmandu:  Swarnakatha Nepali Footballko (The Golden Story of Nepali Football), a book on Nepali football authored by senior sports journalist Himesh Ratna Bajracharya, was launched by legendary footballer Raju Kaji Shakya in Kathmandu on Sunday

The book published by Book Hills covers the early days of Nepali football and gives details about Nepal’s historic gold medal victories in the South Asian Games (SAG).

Former national captain and coach Shakya, who released the book, was a key member of the Nepali national team that won gold medals in the 1984 and 1993 SAG. 

This is the first-ever book written about Nepali football which has a history of over 100 years.  Author Bajracharya, who considers football his first love, said publishing the book was a dream come true.

At the launch event, All Nepal Football Association general secretary Kiran Rai said that reading the book helped him widen his knowledge about football in the past. “After reading the book, I realised there were so many things about Nepali football that I didn’t know. That’s why not just current and former players, but everyone associated with football must read this book to understand the history of our football,” Rai said.

Olympian and 11th SAG athletics gold medalist Santoshi Shrestha said that sports also need study and literature, and this book has initiated that effort. She was full of praise for Bajracharya for compiling over a century of football history into book form, calling him a gem of sports literature. 

Inspired by the book, she also expressed her intention to write about her sports journey in future.

Nepal Sports Journalists Forum (NSJF) president Niranjan Adhikari said that the book written about Nepali football was a valuable document and a beautiful gift to football lovers as there were very few books written about sports in the country. 

Former NSJF president Ajay Phuyal thanked Bajracharya for keeping alive the golden periods of Nepali football that brought joy to the country. Senior journalist Yubaraj Ghimire noted that sports can reflect a country’s prosperity, and books like this contribute to that representation.

Likewise, publisher Bhupendra Khadka expressed his happiness at being able to collaborate on publishing Nepal’s first football book.