Kathmandu, Sept. 17 -- Almost three months after FIFA suspended the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) over third-party interference, the country's football governing body finally broke its silence on Thursday.

In a tense press conference attended by around a hundred players, coaches and staff, ANFA officials delivered a stark ultimatum: the government must put aside its "ego", align with FIFA directives, and lift administrative restrictions, or ANFA will unilaterally resume internal operations next week.

ANFA was suspended by world football's governing body on June 24. Two days later, the National Sports Council (NSC) issued a directive freezing ANFA's bank accounts, website, social media channels, and official vehicles. Since then,...