Kathmandu, Apr. 30: A 23-member national squad for the friendly match against the England C team has been announced on Monday. The Nepali national football team will be playing against England C on May 6 in England. 

Before playing against England C Nepal will also be taking on British Army Team on May 3. This is the first time Nepal is playing against the third-tier national team of England. The match will be played at the Ebb Stadium of Aldershot Town FC. 

Coach Vincenzo Alberto has included Midfielder Phatteman Ghale for the first time in the national squad that is captained by Goalkeeper Kiran Kumar Limbu. 

Abhishek Baral and Bishal Sunar are the backup keepers of the squad. Chhiring Lama, Chhiring Lama, Sanish Shrestha, Abhishek Limbu, Bishal Basnet, Bimal Panday, Saubhagya Rai, Yogesh Gurung and Rohit Chand will take the role of defenders. 

Similarly, Phatteman Ghale, Mani Kumar Lama, Bharat Khawas, Utshab Rai, Manish Dangi and Laken Limbu will be controlling the midfield. 

Dinesh Henjan, Anjan Bista, Gillespye Jung Karki, Hisub Thapaliya, Samir Tamang, and Sanjeeb Bista are continued as strikers. Meantime, The All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) also bid farewell to the national team at its headquarters in Satdobato.  

British Ambassador to Nepal Rob Fenn graced the farewell ceremony, joined by ANFA President Pankaj Bikram Nembang and other ANFA officials. 

Ambassador Fenn, reminiscing about his childhood playing days, expressed his support for the Nepali national team, following his allegiance to English Club Stoke City. He wished for a positive outcome for the Nepali team.

ANFA President Pankaj Bikram Nembang extended gratitude to former ANFA President Karma Tshering Sherpa for initiating the friendly match. 

Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the current ex-Co pursued the initiative and anticipated the match would be a valuable learning experience for the national team. President Nembang also handed a Nepali jersey to the ambassador Fenn during the farewell function.