The 2018–19 Martyr's Memorial A-Division League (Nepali: शहीद स्मारक ए डिभिजन लीग २०७५) season, also known as Pulsar Martyr's Memorial A-Division League for sponsorship reasons, was the 42nd edition of Nepal's Martyr's Memorial A-Division League since its establishment in 1954-55. A total of 16 teams competed in the league. The season began on 29 September 2018 and concluded on 8 January 2019. It was the first edition of the top-division league held in the country since the 2015 National League due to the aftermath of the April 2015 Nepal earthquake. On 16 September 2018, it was decided that there will be no relegation during this edition, though the two bottom-placed teams would have two and one points deducted, respectively, in the following season.
Manang Marshyangdi Club, the defending champions, successfully defended their title on 28 December with two games to spare.
Teams A total of 14 teams, all based in the Kathmandu Valley, contested the league. Four teams from other parts of Nepal -- Jhapa XI, Morang XI, Lumbini F.C. and Far Western F.C. -- were initially supposed to participate in the league announced for 2017. The teams had previously participated in the 2015 National League.
Six teams, that did not participate in the 2015 league, made their comebacks in the league after participating in the 2013-14 season. They were Friends Club, Himalayan Sherpa Club, Jawalakhel Youth Club, Machhindra Football Club, Sankata BSC and Saraswoti Youth Club.
As there was no season in the previous year, teams from two editions of the Martyr's Memorial B-Division League were promoted into this season.
Team changes Promoted from 2014 B-Division LeaguePromoted from 2016 B-Division LeagueRelegated to 2016 B-Division LeagueBrigade Boys ClubChyasal Youth ClubNew Road TeamRanipokhari Corner TeamBoys Union Club
Location TeamLocationPrevious SeasonHimalayan Sherpa ClubKathmandu7thMachhindra Football Club2ndManang Marshyangdi Club1stNepal APF Club6thNepal Army Club10thNepal Police Club4thNew Road Team2nd (2016 B-Division)Sankata BSC5thSaraswati Youth Club9thBrigade Boys ClubLalitpur1st (2014 B-Division)Chyasal Youth Club1st (2016 B-Division)Friends Club8thJawalakhel Youth Club11thThree Star Club3rd
Personnel and kits TeamHead CoachCaptainKit SponsorBrigade Boys Club Ujjen Shrestha Dilen LoktamChyasal Youth Club Raju Kaji Shakya Devendra TamangValley ConstructionFriends Club Ramesh Maharjan Dhiraj ShresthaNepal Investment Bank Limited, Panchakanya GroupHimalayan Sherpa Club Subas Limbu Man Bahadur TamangHarvest MoonJawalakhel Youth Club Raj Kumar KC Ajay ThapaGrand Master XXX RumMachhindra Football Club Nishan Shrestha (caretaker) Uttam GurungManang Marshyangdi Club Fuja Tope and Suman Shrestha Biraj MaharjanSignatureNepal APF Club Rajendra Tamang Nabin LamaAgni MahindraNepal Army Club Nabin Neupane Bharat KhawasBajaj PulsarNepal Police Club Ananta Raj Thapa Bhola Nath SilwalNew Road Team Maheshwor Mulmi Prabin Kumar SainjuSankata BSC Salyan Khadgi Ravi SilwalCMG ClubSaraswati Youth Club Pradip Nepal Raj Kumar GhisingThree Star Club Meghraj KC Bikram LamaRuslan Vodka
Head coaching changes TeamOutgoing coachManner of departureDate of vacancyPosition in tableIncoming coachDate of appointmentMachhindra Football Club Dhaneshwor PrajapatiMutual consent1 December 201811th Nishan Shrestha (caretaker)1 December 2018
Foreign players On 16 May 2018, the All Nepal Football Association announced that the number of foreigners for each club would be four. One of those had to be from one of the countries of the SAARC Region. ClubPlayer 1Player 2Player 3SAARC PlayerBrigade Boys Club Kazeem Adegoke Busari Tajudeen Adukune Busari Abdu Kareem NsiahChyasal Youth Club Sergio Fils Chico Florent KoaraFriends Club Fofana Brahiman Bobby Ogolla Odongo Mohammed Nurul KarimHimalayan Sherpa Club Dady Junior Wamba Patrick Private Goha Ulrich SieweJawalakhel Youth Club Olalaken Afeez Lawal Fofana Fode Adama DoumbiaMachhindra Football Club Vassodia Diamande Alaba Ademolo Aderibigbe Saheed Obenga AnifowoseManang Marshyangdi ClubAfeez Oladipo Oluwaunmi Somide Adelaja Victor Kamhuka Muhammed AsifNepal APF ClubNepal Army ClubNepal Police ClubNew Road Team Christian Basile Kameni Moshood Opeyemi Agboola Kouassi Jean DidierSankata BSC Norbert Cedric Aba Maxwell Ellon Ernest TampiSaraswati Youth Club Olusola Khederi Ibrahim Victor Amobi Francis OkechukwuThree Star Club Ajayi Martins Kayode Peter Segun Messoumbe Abang Albert
Venues The league was played centrally in three venues in two cities in the Kathmandu Valley. Nepal's main football stadium, Dasharath Rangasala was unavailable, as it was not yet reconstructed following the April 2015 Nepal earthquake. Lalitpur Kathmandu ANFA Complex Halchowk Stadium Capacity: 4,000 Capacity: 3,500
League table
Positions by round
Season statistics
Top scorers RankPlayerClubGoals1 Afeez OladipoManang Marshyangdi Club7 Bharat KhawasNepal Army Club Ranjit DhimalThree Star Club2 Yubraj KhadkaAPF Club6 Biswash ShresthaHimalayan Sherpa Club Ranjan BistaThree Star Club3 Anjan BistaManang Marshyangdi Club5 Amit TamangSankata BSC
Clean sheets RankPlayerClubClean sheets1 Bikesh KuthuNepal Army Club72 Bishal ShresthaManang Marshyangdi Club6 Alan NeupaneThree Star Club3 Raja Babu ThapaSankata BSC54 Kishor GiriHimalayan Sherpa Club4 Shatrughan ChaudharyNepal Police Club5 Sagar RayaBrigade Boys Club3 Dinesh Thapa MagarChyasal Youth Club Dev LimbuFriends Club Takendra ThapaJawalakhel Youth Club Deep KarkiMachhindra FC Pradeep BhandariSaraswoti Youth Club6 Raju YogiAPF Club27 Amrit Kumar ChaudharyAPF Club1 Arpan KarkiNepal Police Club Sojit GurungNew Road Team
Discipline
Player
Most yellow cards: 5 Adama Doumbia (Jawalakhel Youth Club) Afeez Oladipo (Manang Marshyangdi Club) Most red cards: 1 Ashish Gurung (Himalayan Sherpa Club) Bishwash Shrestha (Himalayan Sherpa Club) Bishwash Udas (APF Club) Francis Okechukwu (Saraswoti Youth Club) Gaurab Budhathoki (Chyasal Youth Club) Kuldip Karki (Jawalakhel Youth Club) Maxwell Ellon (Sankata BSC) Muhammed Asif (Manang Marshyangdi Club) Santosh Sahukhala (Chyasal Youth Club) Susan Lama (Saraswoti Youth Club)
Team
Most yellow cards: 21 Jawalakhel Youth Club Sankata BSC Most red cards: 2 Chyasal Youth Club Himalayan Sherpa Club Saraswati Youth Club
Awards AwardWinnerClubBest Coach Suman ShresthaManang Marshyangdi ClubBest Goalkeeper Bishal ShresthaManang Marshyangdi ClubBest Defender Ranjit DhimalThree Star ClubBest Midfielder Heman GurungManang Marshyangdi ClubBest Forward Bharat KhawasNepal Army ClubEmerging Player Bikash KhawasNepal Army Club
Broadcast rights All matches were streamed live on MyCujoo.
Notes
References
External links
Nepal 2018/19: A Division League on RSSSF