Zubeen Garg, the Assamese singer who died recently in Singapore, had a dream that was not about music. He wanted to start a world-class residential football academy in eastern India. The people of the north-east loves the sport deeply, andfootball gave Zubeen the same thrill as music. He often spoke about creating a place where young players could be trainedand focus on their game.
BCCI secretary and Guwahati Sports Association (GSA) general secretary Devajit Saikia remembered how deeply involved Zubeen was in sports. “Zubeen was a hardcore football fan, as he would himself say,” said Saikia. “He had told me that he was helping groom a football club in Guwahati and also spoke about developing a top-class academy for the sport here. Whenever there was a celebrity football match, he would surely try to be part of it.”
The BCCI are also planning a tribute to Zubeen during the Women’s World Cup opener in Guwahati on September 30, when India will face Sri Lanka. Saikia also announced that all GSA matches were cancelled for two days to honour the singer.
The co-partner of Guwahati City FC, Sidhartha Sankar Deka,shared how Zubeen joined their efforts to start a local club and even played friendly matches to support young players.He said, “We asked Zubeen da to be part of a friendly match at the end of the camp and not only did he agree, he brought his artiste friends to play, as well. When our club organised its first futsal fest, he again came for the finals.”
He added, “We held discussions about transforming our club into a fully residential academy like in foreign countries where youngsters can concentrate on their game.”
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