06/09/2026
Brazilian Football Legend Cafu Welcomed in Darjeeling, Launches Two Football Teams
Darjeeling, 6 September: Brazilian football legend and 2002 FIFA World Cup-winning captain Cafu received a grand welcome at Lebong Ground in Darjeeling today, where he virtually laid the foundation stone of the proposed Sidra Hills Sports & Wellness Resort at Arya Tea Estate, located around 10 km from Darjeeling town.
Cafu, whose full name is Marcos Evangelista de Moraes, also launched two football teams of Arya Tea Garden—Darjeeling Warriors and North Bengal Fighters—aimed at nurturing and developing football talent from the hills and North Bengal.
The 56-year-old former Brazil captain is one of the most accomplished players in football history. He won the FIFA World Cup with Brazil in 1994 and 2002, captaining the national side to its fifth World Cup title in 2002. He also featured in the 1998 World Cup final, where Brazil lost to France. According to FIFA records, Cafu remains the only player to have appeared in three consecutive FIFA World Cup finals.
The proposed Sidra Hills Sports & Wellness Resort is part of Arya Tea Garden’s tourism development plan. The project is being developed across nearly 40 acres of land at an estimated cost of ₹215 crore. The resort is expected to feature more than 100 luxury rooms and villas, along with a wide range of sporting and recreational facilities.
The facilities will include football, basketball, tennis and several other sports, besides adventure activities such as All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs). The project is scheduled for full completion by 2031.
As part of efforts to identify, nurture and provide professional opportunities to promising footballers from the region, Arya Tea Company Limited also launched the two dedicated football clubs with academies.
The Darjeeling Warriors will primarily focus on providing opportunities to footballers from the hills, while the North Bengal Fighters will scout promising young players from Alipurduar, Cooch Behar, Siliguri, Jalpaiguri, Malda and Dinajpur.
The initiative is aimed at creating a structured pathway for young footballers to sharpen their skills and pursue opportunities at higher levels of the sport.
The event was attended by Sankar Ghosh from the Ministry of Tourism, Dr. Indranil Khan from the Ministry of Youth Services and Sports, Bishal Lama, Minister for Hills Affairs, along with the Darjeeling MLA and Kurseong MLA, among other dignitaries and stakeholders.
The presence of Cafu added international significance to the event, while the launch of the football academies and the proposed sports and wellness resort marked a major step towards combining sports development, youth empowerment and tourism promotion in the Darjeeling hills.