The Indian football world mourns the loss of young defender Ravinder Singh, who suddenly and tragically lost his life while playing in a local league in Punjab earlier this week. Contracted to Namdhari FC in the Indian Football League, the second step of Indian professional football, Ravinder passed away at the age of 25.
Ravinder hailed from Majri, a village in Ludhiana district in Punjab. He was participating in a tournament being held in Bachhauri, a village in the Nawanshahr district, when he suddenly collapsed with chest pain, and rushed to a private hospital. Unfortunately, he was declared dead by doctors on Wednesday.
As per Dainik Jagran reports, the tragedy was met with a ‘solemn’ funeral in Ravinder’s hometown, as the pyre was led by Ravinder’s brother Bhupinder Singh. Ravinder, beyond his dreams of football, was also a BA student in his second year at Babbar Akali Memorial Khalsa College in Garhshankar. His funeral was attended by family members, friends, and fellow players from the area.
Ravinder’s untimely death was also met by testimonials and messages of support and love from several football clubs across the country, who honoured Ravinder’s memory with heartfelt messages and posts on social media.
This started with Namdhari FC themselves, who released a video with the caption: “We are deeply saddened to share that one of our football players, Ravinder Singh, has passed away suddenly at such a young age. His untimely departure is a great loss to the football family. May the Almighty bless his soul with eternal peace and give strength and courage to his family and loved ones during this difficult time.”
The post included a video of Ravinder’s teammates and coaches stood together voicing a prayer for their fallen teammate. The sense of brotherhood was felt beyond the reaches of Namdhari, as clubs such as Minerva Punjab, Gokulam Kerala, and Bengaluru FC released statements and words of support from their own public-facing platforms.
In the wake of the tragedy, the IFL announced that all the matches in the forthcoming round of fixtures would observe a minute of silence in Ravinder’s memory. ‘to honour his memory and stand in solidarity with his family, friends and Namdhari FC.’
