Unnecessary defeat


Three Star Club, my hometown football team and one of the top clubs in Nepal, made it to the semifinals in India after winning their match 1-0. But for some reason (which I still don’t know), the organizers decided the match had to be replayed. Surprisingly, Three Star Club agreed to this, and in the replay, they lost.

As a big football fan, I’ve never heard of a top-flight game being replayed like this. Even when there was the famous "Hand of Henry" incident in the World Cup qualifying playoff between France and Ireland, and everyone—including Thierry Henry—called for a rematch, it didn’t happen. Football doesn’t leave room for rematches, and that’s what makes this so frustrating.

I’m really disappointed that Three Star Club agreed to play the match again. Why did they stay in India after such an unfair decision? They should have pulled out of the tournament rather than accept this kind of humiliation. It’s a shame they bowed to the pressure from the Indian organizers. Fans, including myself, are not happy with how they handled the situation.