Friendly football match held to raise funds for flood-hit Sikkim

SILIGURI: Former Indian football captain Bhaichung Bhutia, with the help of the Association for Conservation and Tourism (ACT), organized a charity football match in Siliguri to raise funds for the flood-affected people in Sikkim. Five-time World Champion and bronze medalist Olympic 2012 boxer Mary Kom and former Indian Hockey team captain Dhanraj Pillay participated in the match. Many businessmen from Siliguri and voluntary organisations came forward to join the cause and funded lakhs of rupees for the affected people.

Sikkim suffered significant disruptions due to the flash floods that inflicted damage on footbridges, roads, and other crucial infrastructure. "It's a charity match. I would like to thank Baichung for inviting me and inviting Dhanraj. Also, we came here for a good cause. Today was really amazing. The weather was good. I don't mind playing football or any other sport," Mary Kom said.

Bhaichung thanked both athletes for featuring in the match and revealed that Mary came to play despite suffering from an injury. "It was very good. I would like to thank Mary and Dhanraj. Mary is recovering from a serious ligament injury. Still, she came to play. We have generated revenue, and we will donate it. We want to spread awareness about people building houses near the river; natural disasters can occur anytime, so we want to educate them about it," he said. Iconic hockey player Dhanraj shared his experience with the charity match and also talked about India's recent success in the recently concluded 19th Asian Games.

"The experience was very good, everybody co tribute to the charity match. I am happy to have come here and played, and I enjoyed it also. I am very happy that Harmanpreet, as a captain, and most of the players, Sreejesh, Manpreet, and Mandeep, have done a really good job. It was a team effort. No doubt Harmanpreet was the highest scorer with 13 goals, so I think they are preparing for the Paris Olympics, and I am happy that they will definitely do well in the Paris Olympics," Dhanraj said. (ANI)

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