East Bengal come to the rescue of Mohun Bagan academy player

The coronavirus pandemic has dealt a severe blow to the global economy. As such many have been forced to look for odd jobs to stay afloat during these tough times. One such example is Mohun Bagan’s highly rated academy footballer Deep Bag.

The 20-year-old, who hails from Konnanagar, in the Hooghly district of West Bengal has had to keep aside his passion for playing football since the countrywide lockdown was implemented and has been forced to sell vegetables to make ends meet and support his family.

Earlier, the 1000 rupees monthly stipend that he used to get at the Bagan academy along with his rickshaw puller father’s meagre income helped the family get by. However, disaster struck as the pandemic set in.

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“My father fell ill during the lockdown and now he is incapable of pulling his rickshaw. So that is why I decided to take up this job, at least I can feed my family two meals a day now,” Bag was quoted saying by Indian Express.

A Mohun Bagan fan group, The Delhi Mariners, brought the youngster’s plight to everyone’s attention and has even attempted to raise funds for him on social media.

East Bengal, Bagan’s age-old nemesis, has also come forward to help offering the player 10,000 rupees and access to all training facilities. Ranjit Bajaj, the owner of erstwhile I-League champions Minerva Punjab, has offered free stay at Minerva’s academy premises.

Also read: Footballers of India’s u17 Women’s World Cup team struggling to get two meals a day