Kathmandu: All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) on Sunday announced the cancellation of Nepal’s international friendly against Hong Kong, which was scheduled for Thursday at Dasharath Stadium.

In a press release, the country’s football governing body said the match was called off after the National Sports Council (NSC) did not grant permission to use the stadium and playing ground.

According to ANFA, it had formally written to the NSC on February 22 seeking approval to use the venue. After receiving no response, ANFA sent a follow-up letter on March 17 requesting arrangements for floodlights, the scoreboard and other necessary infrastructure.

With the match date approaching, ANFA decided to cancel the fixture, citing continued inaction from the NSC.

The friendly against Hong Kong was intended as a warm-up for Nepal’s AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Laos. The national team is currently in the first phase of its preparations. Already out of contention, Nepal will face Laos in the final match of the third round on March 31.

The match against Laos was initially scheduled to be held in Nepal. However, due to unresolved infrastructure issues, Dasharath Stadium was deemed ineligible to host official AFC and FIFA matches, forcing Nepal to travel to Laos for the fixture.

NSC’s reluctance to provide facilities for the friendly came as a response to ANFA’s  decision to hold a controversial early election for the next four-year term on Friday without NSC approval.

Earlier, the NSC — the country’s apex sports body — had instructed ANFA to suspend all activities related to its Ordinary Congress and the early election scheduled for March 27.