Sabitra Bhandari’s entry to Wellington Phoenix FC came as a big success not only for the New Zealand-based club, but also for the overall Ninja A-League, the top-level women’s club football competition of Australia and New Zealand combined.

Nicknamed ‘Samba’, Bhandari was announced by the 'Nix as their new player with a two-year contract on July 17 last year. After the announcement of Samba by the Nix, the A-League, a day later, published an article with the headline: Huge coup as Wellington Phoenix sign ‘national icon’ with crazy international goals record.

Samba is undoubtedly the most-accomplished footballer in Nepal’s history, having played around the globe.

Samba is not only the leading goal scorer of Nepal’s domestic club football scene (for the Armed Police Force Club), but also for the national women’s team. She is also the leading goal scorer of the Indian Women’s League in three seasons she played for Sethu FC (2019) and Gokulam Kerala (2019-20 and 2022).

She also showed her capabilities when she joined Israel’s Hapoel Ra’anana in 2024, and then became the first Nepali to play in one of the biggest leagues in Europe, France’s D1 Arkema, after joining En Avant Guingamp for the 2024-25 season, where she scored a brace against the likes of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).

After that, Samba decided to join the Nix for a new challenge, and since then, the Ninja A-League and the club have seen a rise in their viewership and fans’ turnout during the club’s home and away matches in New Zealand and Australia.

“First and foremost, we recruited an unbelievable human. Samba’s probably the most popular player in the team. The team love and adores her,” Phoenix head coach Bev Priestman said around a week after Samba ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) graft in her right knee during the league fixture against Brisbane Roar on January 3. “I feel gutted for her, but I’ve seen the hunger in her eyes. We’ve got her for two seasons, and she’s like ‘get me back as quick as I can get back’.”

Nepali fans were waiting for good news regarding Samba’s treatment and her possible return timeframe to the ground to entertain them.

However, there was a swirl of emotions when Samba posted an emotional plea seeking funds for her treatment on her Facebook page on Monday.

“There has been a serious injury to both the ACL graft that was inserted during my previous surgery and the MCL in my knee. Because of this, I now have to undergo another complex surgery,” Samba wrote. “Since my injury is serious and my previous treatment at Aspetar [Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital] in Qatar was of a very high standard, I wish to undergo treatment again at the same hospital.”

The first time Samba sustained an ACL injury in her right knee was in a match against Nepal Police Club during the National Women’s League 2078. Samba had then received treatment at Aspetar in 2021 and returned home in February 2022.

Samba said the preliminary estimate for her treatment and rehabilitation is $80,000 (Rs11,582,392).

“The club [Wellington Phoenix FC] will release to me the amount received from insurance. But since that amount will not be sufficient for my surgery and 7–8 months of rehabilitation, I have come to seek support from all supporters,” she wrote.

Meanwhile, there were questions raised in the comments section of Samba’s post regarding the club’s official response to the issue.

As Wellington Phoenix did not make an official statement, the Post tried reaching out through its email to understand their stance on the matter. And the club responded on Tuesday morning.

The reply, termed as the club’s statement, by Brenton Vanniserloy, the club’s Head of Media, stated, “The Wellington Phoenix are backing Sabitra ‘Samba’ Bhandari’s plea for financial support for her knee operation and rehab.”

But the club argued that the insurance payout would fall short for her treatment in Qatar.

“League insurance would have covered Samba’s knee surgery in New Zealand, but not the estimated $80,000USD cost of the operation and seven to eight months of rehab at Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital in Qatar,” the statement read. “The entire insurance payout the club receives will go towards Samba’s operation, but there is a big shortfall.”

Nonetheless, the club said that it backed up Samba’s decision to get treated in Qatar.

“Her fanbase, in particular the Nepalese community, has been incredibly generous so far to help her fulfil her wish of receiving treatment at the world-renowned Aspetar facility, where she had her ACL surgery in 2021,” read the statement received by the Post.

At the end, the club stressed, “The Phoenix’s medical team have worked tirelessly to ensure Samba is in optimal condition for her operation, and the club hopes she can secure a date for her surgery in the near future so we can all see Samba back in yellow and black as soon as possible.”

Samba’s fundraising of $135,000 through givealittle.co.nz, a New Zealand-based crowdfunding site, has already received $48,000 by 11,000+ donors from around the globe. Nepal-based footballers, fans and business houses have also been donating hundreds and thousands of rupees to her Agriculture Development Bank’s account.