Guglielmo Arena has officially been appointed as the head coach of the Nepal men’s national football team. He received his appointment letter on Thursday and attended a meet-and-greet program at the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) Complex in Satdobato on Friday.

Arena appeared calm during the event, wearing a black suit with a blue shirt and burgundy tie. He spoke softly and avoided making big promises about the team’s future.

ANFA has given Arena the task of helping Nepal win the upcoming SAFF Championship, which will take place in September and October. However, the new coach said he would need some time before making predictions. “I can answer that after a few weeks,” Arena said.

Arena has already been in Nepal for about 10 days. During that time, he watched several matches of the National League and observed local players. According to him, Nepali players have good qualities needed for international football, but those qualities are not fully developed yet.

He pointed out that fitness and practical aspects of the game need improvement. Arena also said Nepal currently lacks strong strikers. “Nepal’s problem is in scoring goals,” he explained, adding that most of the strikers playing in the league clubs are foreign players.

Arena previously played as a central midfielder in the third tier of Swiss football. As a coach, he has worked with more than a dozen clubs across Asia, Africa and Europe since 2003. His only experience with a national team was when he coached Laos national football team in 2023.

Nepal will soon face Laos on March 31 in the final group-stage match of the AFC Asian Cup Qualification Third Round. Both teams have already been eliminated from the tournament and will be playing only to finish their campaign with a win.

There is also uncertainty about where the match will be played. Nepal currently does not have an AFC-recognised stadium after Dasharath Stadium was declared unfit in February 2024. The venue for Nepal’s home match against Laos has not been confirmed yet.

However, Nepali fans will get to see Arena on the sidelines during an international friendly against Hong Kong national football team on March 26 at Dasharath Stadium.

Arena said the upcoming matches will be good opportunities to test new ideas. “We are already out of the qualification, so these matches will be like friendlies. We will try new things and also try to make Nepali fans happy,” he said.

Nepali football has been facing several challenges, including lack of proper stadiums and training facilities. These problems have made it difficult to organise regular domestic leagues and improve player development.

Despite these issues, Arena encouraged players and fans to keep believing. He said success in football comes from performance and strong belief.

Arena will have limited time to prepare the team before the international matches. He said a list of 46 players has been prepared, and training is expected to start next week. However, because the National League is still ongoing, most players may only join the national team two days before the upcoming FIFA International Window from March 23 to 31.

Arena replaces Matt Ross, who resigned as Nepal’s head coach in October last year before completing his one-year contract. Nepal captain Kiran Chemjong had earlier said the players were surprised by Ross’s sudden resignation.

According to ANFA Technical Director Hari Khadka, Arena was selected from more than 800 applicants. The association first shortlisted 10 candidates and later reduced the list to three before choosing Arena.

Khadka said ANFA will give the new coach full freedom in selecting players and building the team. However, he also noted that fans should not expect immediate major changes. Instead, the main goal is to help Nepal perform well and win the upcoming SAFF Championship.

Arena has signed a one-year contract with ANFA. His performance, especially in the SAFF Championship, will determine whether the contract will be extended.

Unlike some national teams, Arena will not have foreign support staff. Instead, he will work with Nepali coaches who have experience assisting international coaches. Arena said he is satisfied with the arrangement and looks forward to working with a motivated local coaching team.