KATHMANDU: Immigration officials at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) on Tuesday morning prevented All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) President Pankaj Bikram Nembang and General Secretary Kiran Rai from leaving the country.

The two top football officials were scheduled to board a morning flight to Mexico en route to the United States to attend the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup 2026. However, airport immigration authorities denied them departure clearance due to an active “watch list” status on their passports.

The travel restriction stem from an ongoing National Sports Council (NSC) financial investigation into the football governing body’s administrative and fiscal conduct.

The individual travel bans remain fully active despite an administrative appeal by the ANFA delegation a day prior.

The scope of the travel restriction encompasses 24 individuals within the association, including six office-bearers, fourteen central committee members, and four management staff.

Out of the entire central committee, only one member is currently exempted from the travel blacklist.