“Anil is a very talented player. His exceptional skills and hard work have helped him reach this height. I have a firm belief that Anil will not disappoint us,” Saurav wrote in an e-mail to myrepublica.com. Anil´s performance is likely to help other Nepali players to bag similar deals with Indian football clubs.
Saurabh Rai, who is currently working for the Indian Football Players´ Association, said his role in the deal was just an ordinary one. He said that the contribution of Sudarshan Ranjit, ANFA Spokesperson Lalit Krishna Shrestha and goalnepal.com´s Bikram Thapa were instrumental in helping Anil to bag the contract.
However, Anil´s own skills and hard work without question was the most important factor of all. Nevertheless, the help offered by Ranjit, Shrestha and Thapa were crucial, according to Saurabh. “When I heard that Anil signed the contract with Shillong Lazong, I probably was the happiest person of all,” wrote Saurabh.
Saurabh said Anil´s affiliation to the Indian football is good news to all Nepali football fans and urged all sectors to help take Nepali football to the next level.
Quoting Liverpool´s late coach Bill Shanky´s saying “Some people think that football is the means of survival and the cause of death. But for me, football is something much more than that,” Saurabh said that football is also the dearest thing in his life. “Football is much more than life and death for me as well.”
Anil, who signed the contract worth Rs 6.36 million with Shillong Lazong on Friday, made a debut in the I-league on Monday. Anil debuted for Shillong Lajong against Salgaocar Sports which remained goalless.
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