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A fruitful fan-funding exercise for injured Wellington Phoenix women's footballer Sabitra Bhandari

A fruitful fan-funding exercise for injured Wellington Phoenix women's footballer Sabitra Bhandari

25 February 2026

The Nepalese national captain launched a Givealittle page to support knee surgery and rehabilitation at a world-leading facility in Doha.

Bhandari felt let down by her national association not footing the 135-thousand dollar surgery bill, as they did for her ACL surgery in 2021.

Her predicament even saw players in Nepal's national men's league wear black armbands in protest.

Bhandari has closed the Givealittle page after gaining 56-thousand dollars in a couple of days, saying she now has enough to meet the costs of her operation.

The Phoenix could only cover the full medical bill for a New Zealand-based procedure.

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