Mohun Bagan academy footballer Deep Bag has been forced to sell vegetables to make ends meet due to financial strain his family has faced during the coronavirus pandemic.
Bag, a defender who trained at the Durgapur Mohun Bagan U-19 academy, would get a stipend of Rs 1000 which - along with his father's earnings - helped the family sustain.
However, he was forced to leave for home when the lockdown hit and his father fell ill, leaving him to sell vegetables in order to make ends meet.
"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 told the Indian Express.
Bag added that he is still practicing football in the evenings and will return to the sport once he is able to do so.Also Read: AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das Says Covid May Impact I-League
"Once this all ends, I will once again play football professionally, hopefully in the I-League, because football is my only dream," he added.
Delhi Mariners, a Mohun Bagan fan club based out of India's capital, has attempted to raise funds for him by spreading the message through social media.
"We as a group have created a fund and we have also spoken to Ranjit Bajaj. He has said that right now there is no scope of trials but he will try to get him some sort of a stipend. Once the lockdown ends he will be asked to give a trial to ensure that he stays with the game," Arijeet Samanta, a spokesperson for Delhi Mariners, said.
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