Captain of the Nepal national women’s football team, Sabitri Bhandari ‘Samba’, has appealed for financial support for her medical treatment. On Monday, she publicly requested assistance through social media, stating that she had not received support from the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) or the government.
Samba, who has delivered some of Nepal’s most significant victories on the field, has yet to receive concrete support from either the government or the All Nepal Football Association for her treatment. She has therefore turned to the public for financial assistance. Suresh Shah, a spokesman for ANFA, said the matter was under discussion.
Samba is a player who has introduced Nepali football from European leagues to Australia’s Ninja A-League. Last November, she rescued Nepal from near defeat against India on home ground, equalising and leading the team to victory. She is also the highest goal scorer for the Nepali women’s national team.
She has scored decisive goals for Nepal on many occasions. Yet when she herself was injured, neither the nation nor ANFA was able to provide support. She has now been forced to publicly seek assistance for her treatment.
President of the Nepal Football Players Association, Bikram Lama, said it is unfortunate that the national team captain has had to publicly appeal for medical support.
“It is sad to value Sabitra’s contribution at just five hundred thousand rupees,” he says. “How can leadership spend 50–60 million on foreign visits but fail to cover treatment costs when a player is injured?”
Samba has suffered serious injuries to both the graft inserted during her previous ACL surgery and her MCL, requiring a complex operation. She wrote that the total cost of treatment would amount to 80,000 US dollars. However, she said ANFA responded that it could only provide USD 3,441 in support. She also expressed dissatisfaction that the government process had not moved forward as expected.
Member Secretary of the National Sports Council (NSC), Ram Charitra Mehta, stated that Samba had been asked to submit documents but had not yet done so.
“We told her to bring the documents and submit them to us. I am thinking of providing up to NPR 1,00,000 in assistance,” he says. “But we have not received the documents.”
Mehta claimed that there is currently no situation in Nepal where athletes are left untreated, stating that players are covered through insurance and that provisions have been included in the official budget.
Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ramesh Dhakal, said the ministry had not received any information regarding the matter and that discussions would take place once it is formally received.
It is not new for ANFA to receive billions in funding from FIFA in the name of players and spend it according to its own priorities. It has been nearly three years since Nepal’s biggest football competition, the A Division League, was held.
Although ANFA has failed to organise the A Division League, it has not hesitated to increase the salaries of its officials. While it does not hesitate to call conventions and incur expenses for its own benefit before the end of its term, it neglects the treatment of players who represent the country.
Samba has mentioned that some within ANFA attempted to argue that her injury occurred while playing for a club. She described this as the most difficult battle of her career.
She is not alone. Many athletes representing the country have been unable to return to the field after sustaining injuries. When players are valued only while representing the nation but neglected during injuries, many are forced to end their careers prematurely.
