Krishnanagar, March 19: Tragedy struck on football ground once again as Debajyoti Ghosh, 25, a promising footballer of Bengal, who joined East Bengal this season, died due to heart attack while playing the final match of a local football tournament near his native town Krishnanagar in Nadia on Saturday afternoon.
The bizarre end came at a ground in Belpukur village under Dhubulia police station, around 17 km away from Krishnanagar, where Debajyoti lived.
A resident of Sukul Road in the town, Debajyoti, who used to play as a central midfielder, fell ill during the dying hours of the match being played between Krishnanagar Central Club and Nabadwip Sevak Samity.
A police vehicle in absence of any ambulance at the ground first took him to Dhubulia rural hospital. But doctors transferred him to Nadia district hospital in Krishnanagar, 17 km away, where he was declared brought dead.
“It appeared that the youth suffered a severe heart attack and died much before reaching the hospital. He was not responding when we were trying to revive him clinically”, a doctor said
Son of a milkman, Debajyoti, in last season played for Railway Football Club, family sources said. Club sources said that he played a lead role for the club to help it to reach the final of Calcutta Football League 2021-22. His creative performance drawn accolades and also an invitation from the Calcutta giant East Bengal to play for the club in the coming season.
Police and organizers claimed that the young footballer was repeatedly asking the referee about remaining minutes of the match the looking very fatigued. “At about 80th minute of the match we saw him collapsed on the ground. He was gasping…We began pumping his chest, but he was not responding well. Meanwhile police officials on duty rushed in for help and took him to Dhubulia Rural Hospital on their vehicle”.
“Later Ghosh was transferred to Nadia district hospital in Krishnanagar where he was declared brought dead on arrival”, an organiser of the tournament said.
His coach Partha Biswas said, “It’s a tragic end of a promising footballer who was trying hard to fight with poverty. He was trying to bring a change in the economic condition of his family being a dedicated player. As a midfielder he was a game maker being a creative player, who used brain more than his body power.
Friends and family sources said that Debajyoti largely staying in Calcutta in mess for regular practice. He came home to play for his native club on Friday being persuaded by friends, who ruled out any symptoms of illness or heart ailment in him. “He had no addiction at all that could lead to such symptom”, a friend said.