Zamary Salangi is the most recognizable player in the Roshan Afghan Premier League. Mainly because of his speed and agility as a striker, but also because of his devastatingly handsome blonde hair. His style has made him a crowd favorite of his hometown Oqaban Hindukosh since the league started back in 2012. He was 17. Since then it has been his dream to compete in an RAPL championship. On September 25, 2014 his dream came true.
The Golden Lion led Oqaban Hindukosh past the best defensive team in the league, De Maiwand Atalan in an intensely grueling contest to advance to their first ever RAPL championship. The match went to a penalty shootout after 124 minutes, which Oqaban Hindukosh won eight goals to seven. I had a discussion with Zmaray following his teams dramatic win.
"This feels like a dream. I have been waiting for this moment for years and it has finally come. Me and my teammates will enjoy this win tonight, and start preparing ourselves for the championships tomorrow."
Despite missing out on many years of formal education between the age of 14-17, Salangi is a very polished and well spoken young man. During those formidable years he had the good fortune of being selected to play abroad by the Afghan Football Federation in Germany, India, and Malaysia. "While my friends were attending school, I was playing football. I missed out on school but was lucky to have been trained from such a young age. Football is my life, and the way I will be earning my livelihood for a long time, so I think I made the right decision."
Zmaray comes from a family of ten and is the eldest of three brothers. He and his father are the sole wage earners in his household and the family manages to get by on money they make. I asked Zmaray if he believes that certain players should earn more than others, based on performance. "Some players contribute more to our teams success than others. That is because those players have starting roles and have more opportunities to contribute. This doesn't mean that one player should earn more than another."
Salangi was born and raised in Kabul, but his family is originally from Parwan, the region represented by Oqaban Hindukosh. When asked who he wanted to face in the RAPL final, he said, "Shaheen Asmayee. They are the defending champions and the team that represent Kabul. I think there are as many Oqaban Hindukosh fans in Kabul as there are Shaheen Asmayee fans, many people would be happy if we take their crown and become the champions this year."
Oqaban Hindukosh will play the winner of De Spinghar Bazan and Shaheen Asmayee on October 3rd, 2014 at AFF Stadium. The Match will be broadcasted live on TOLO TV, Lemar TV, Arman FM, Arakozai FM.
You can also follow the match online for live updates of the match on Twitter: AfPremierLeague, Facebook: AfghanPremierLeague, and YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/afghanpremierleague.