Kolkata: The City of Joy will finally get an opportunity to see Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona. The World Cup winning captain will arrive in Kolkata on October 07 to take part in the much anticipated “Match for Unity” against Sourav Ganguly XI. The match will take place on October 09 at the Aditya School of Sports Stadium, Kadambagachi in North 24 Parganas at 2.30pm. He will leave the city on October 10.
The soccer legend will also take part in a football conclave on October 08 in the presence of a clutch of current and former Indian stars like I.M. Vijayan, Sunil Chhetri and Bhaichung Bhutia.
Organisers are trying to get Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore for the opening session of the conclave. This will be followed by a special session on ‘A career that could have been’ by former India skipper Sourav Ganguly discussing and giving us insights on his love for football. The third session will be on corporate in football — namely do they find it lucrative by Pawan Munjal, CMD Hero Motocorp; Sanjeev Goenka, Chairman, Sanjeev Goenka Group; and Sajjan Jindal, Chairman and Managing Director, JSW Group.
The day-long event will have session by legends and enthusiasts from the field of football, including Maradona, Jose Ramirez Baretto, Vijayan, Jo Paul Ancheri, former India player Subhash Bhowmick, India coach Stephen Constantine, Baichiung Bhutia, and current India skipper Chhetri.
Confirming Maradona’s visit, Satadru Dutta on behalf of the organisers in a press statement said, “We would like to confirm that the Match for Unity (DiegovsDada) is to be held at Aditya School of Sports Stadium, Kadambagachi, Taki Road, North 24 Parganas on the 09th of October 2017 at 2.30pm. After much effort and an unforeseen Diego Maradona’s part we are delighted to announce that we have obtained all the necessary permissions and clearances necessary for the occasion. It will indeed be a proud moment to see Maradona play football in front of children.”
Below is the press release:
