ANFA says it will bear all of Aashish Rai’s treatment costs despite funding delay
Football governing body attributes delay in financial support to FIFA suspension and vows to resume payments once administrative hurdles are cleared. Aashish Rai returns to ANFA’s hostel after exercising at the gym of the ANFA Complex in Satdobato, Lalitpur, on July 31 last year. Hemanta Shrestha/TKP
The All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) on Friday said it remains fully committed to covering the treatment expenses of injured national footballer Aashish Rai, attributing the recent delay in financial support to the association’s FIFA suspension and the subsequent freeze on its financial transactions.
In a statement issued on Friday, ANFA said it had been responsible for Rai’s treatment and rehabilitation for the past 17 months following the serious leg injury he sustained during Nepal U-23’s friendly against a Chinese representative side on February 15 last year.
ANFA said Rai was initially taken to Star Hospital before being referred to B&B Hospital, where he underwent two surgeries under orthopaedic surgeon Dr Amit Joshi. The second surgery, as per ANFA, was because Rai developed compartment syndrome, a painful buildup of pressure around muscles.
According to ANFA, Rai was later rehabilitated in Nepal before being sent to Yunnan, China, for around six months with the initiative of the association and support from the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu. After returning to Nepal, he stayed at a hotel while continuing rehabilitation before being sent to Bangkok Hospital in Thailand on April 30 this year for specialised treatment. ANFA said it released Rs1 million to cover his treatment in Thailand.
The association said doctors in Bangkok had advised that Rai could continue rehabilitation in Nepal after one month of treatment in Thailand, but Rai wished to remain there. ANFA claimed its general secretary had already approved additional financial assistance before FIFA suspended the association.
It said the suspension, coupled with the National Sports Council’s directive to halt ANFA’s operations and freeze its bank accounts, had created technical difficulties in transferring further funds.
ANFA said it would bear all expenses related to Rai’s treatment until he fully recovers and will resume the pending payments and treatment process as soon as the legal and administrative issues surrounding its suspension are resolved.
The statement comes three days after The Kathmandu Post published Rai’s account alleging that his treatment in Bangkok had stalled after ANFA stopped sending financial assistance. Rai is currently collecting funds by requesting football fans across different social media platforms.
Nayak Paudel covers sports for The Kathmandu Post. He previously worked at the Post (2018–19) and spent over five years at The Rising Nepal. His reporting spans crime, health, education, and social issues.
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