Bal Gopal Maharjan ( ne, बाल गोपाल महर्जन) is a retired Nepali football player who most recently was coaching the
Nepal men's national team.
He was in the squad which won the historic
1993 SAG gold. After his retirement from football Bal Gopal has been busy coaching different age level Nepalese teams.
Career
His major achievement during his playing career was the
1993 South Asian Games
The 1993 South Asian Games, officially the 6th South Asian Games, took place from December 20 to December 27, 1993, in Dhaka, Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is ...
gold medal. From 1991 to 1993, he played for Bangladeshi club
Brothers Union
Brothers Union is a football club based in Gopibag, Dhaka. The club was founded in 1949 and the regal business tycoon Kazi Ghiyasuddin Ahmed, better known as K. G. Ahmed served as the founder chairman of the club. At the beginning it was a well ...
. After retirement, he started his coaching career with
Three Star Club
Three Star Club is a Nepali professional football club based in Patan, Lalitpur, that competes in the Qatar Airways Martyr's Memorial A-Division League, the top flight of Nepalese football.
The club was previously known as the ''Laxmi Bank ...
of
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...
.
Maharjan led the
national team
A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport.
The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exam ...
to victory in the
2015 SAFF U-19 Championship and again in
2016 Bangabandhu Cup
The 2016 Bangabandhu Cup or 2016 Bangabandhu Gold Cup was an international association football tournament organised by the Bangladesh Football Federation as a tribute to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Launched in 1996, ...
.
On 1 June 2016, Bal Gopal was appointed head coach of
Brothers Union
Brothers Union is a football club based in Gopibag, Dhaka. The club was founded in 1949 and the regal business tycoon Kazi Ghiyasuddin Ahmed, better known as K. G. Ahmed served as the founder chairman of the club. At the beginning it was a well ...
on a three-month contract,
thus became the first Nepali to coach a top-tier football club in another country.
On 10 June 2018, he was appointed as the assistant coach of
Nepal national football team
The Nepal national football team ( ne, नेपाल राष्ट्रिय फुटबल टोली) represents Nepal in FIFA, International men's association football, football, and is governed by the All Nepal Football Association ...
under head coach
Koji Gyotoku
is a former Japanese Association football, football player and manager. He is the current head coach of the Cambodia national under-21 football team and Bati Youth Football Academy, Bati Academy.
Playing career
Gyotoku was born January 28, 1965 ...
ahead of
2018 Asian Games
The 2018 Asian Games ( id, Pesta Olahraga Asia 2018 or ''Asian Games 2018''), officially known as the 18th Asian Games and also known as Jakarta-Palembang 2018 or Indonesia 2018, was a Asia, continental multi-sport event that was held from 18 A ...
.
On 25 August 2018, he was appointed as the interim head coach of the national team. Maharjan takes over from head coach
Koji Gyotoku
is a former Japanese Association football, football player and manager. He is the current head coach of the Cambodia national under-21 football team and Bati Youth Football Academy, Bati Academy.
Playing career
Gyotoku was born January 28, 1965 ...
after the Japanese national was entangled into visa issues.
On 8 September 2018,
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...
defeated hosts
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
2–0 to enter the semifinals of
2018 SAFF Championship
The 2018 SAFF Championship, also known as 2018 SAFF Suzuki Cup for sponsorship reasons, was the 12th edition of the SAFF Championship, the biennial international men's association football, football championship of South Asia organized by South ...
and Bal Gopal Maharjan became the first Nepalese coach to lead Nepal to
SAFF
South Asian Football Federation (SAFF), founded in 1997, is an association of the football playing nations in South Asia and is part of the larger Asian Football Confederation. The members of the association are Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Mald ...
semifinals.
He also managed Nepal, that won
2021 Three Nations Cup defeating
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
.
Managerial statistics
Honours
Player
;
Brothers Union
Brothers Union is a football club based in Gopibag, Dhaka. The club was founded in 1949 and the regal business tycoon Kazi Ghiyasuddin Ahmed, better known as K. G. Ahmed served as the founder chairman of the club. At the beginning it was a well ...
*
Bangladesh Federation Cup
Federation Cup, also known as Bangladesh Federation Cup, is Bangladesh's premier cup competition in men's association football. The competition started in 1980 and is run by the Bangladesh Football Federation which is responsible for all types of ...
(1): 1991
;
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...
*
SAG Football (1):
1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
Manager
;
Nepal U20
*
SAFF U-19 Championship
The SAFF U-18/U-19/U-20 Championship is a biennial football championship for male footballers under the age of 20 and is organized by the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF). The championship was held for the first time in August 2015 in Nepal. ...
(1):
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
;
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...
*
Bangabandhu Cup
The Bangabandhu Cup, also known as the Bangabandhu Gold Cup, is an international football tournament organised by the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) as a tribute to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman who is the founding father of Bangladesh ...
(1):
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
*
Three Nations Cup (1):
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
;
Nepal U23
*
South Asian Games
The South Asian Games (SAG or SA Games), formerly known as the South Asian Federation Games (SAFG or SAF Games), is a quadrennial multi-sport event held among the athletes from South Asia. The governing body of these games is South Asia Olympic C ...
(1):
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
See also
*
All Nepal Football Association
The All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) (Nepali language, Nepali: अखिल नेपाल फुटबल संघ (एन्फा)) is the governing body of football in Nepal. It is responsible for the Nepal national football team, natio ...
*
Nepal women's national football team
The Nepal women's national football team is controlled by the All Nepal Football Association and represents Nepal in women's international football competitions. The Women's Football Department is developed to control and manage the women's f ...
*
Nepal national under-17 football team
The Nepal national under-17 football team ( ne, नेपाल राष्ट्रिय यू-१७ फुटबल टिम) is the under-17 football team of Nepal. The team is controlled by the All Nepal Football Association and is a m ...
*
Nepal national under-20 football team
The Nepal national football team is the national under-20 team of Nepal that represents the Nepal in international football competitions in the FIFA U-20 World Cup qualifiers and the AFC Youth Championship, as well as any other under-20 internatio ...
*
Nepal national under-23 football team
Nepal national under-23 football team, also known as Nepal under-23s or Nepal U23(s), represents Nepal in association football at national and olympic games and is controlled by ANFA, the governing body for football in Nepal, and the Nepal Olympic ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maharjan, Bal Gopal
Living people
Nepal national football team managers
Year of birth missing (living people)
Place of birth missing (living people)
South Asian Games gold medalists for Nepal
Nepalese football managers
South Asian Games medalists in football
South Asian Games silver medalists for Nepal
Footballers at the 1998 Asian Games
Asian Games competitors for Nepal
Nepalese expatriate sportspeople in Bangladesh
Association footballers not categorized by position
Association football players not categorized by nationality
Nepalese expatriate football managers
Brothers Union players
Expatriate football managers in Bangladesh