Going for the goal

When Spain was taking on Germany in the Euro Cup final, a group of Tibetan teenagers in Gopalpur...

When Spain was taking on Germany in the Euro Cup final, a group of Tibetan teenagers in Gopalpur, a nondescript village in Himachal, sat rapt in attention in front of their television screen, carefully studying the strategy followed by the European players. They were developing their own game plan for the Gothia Cup in Sweden. The group was excited that the Spaniards took the cup from the Germans in the final match. 8220;They concentrated on the basics and that worked for them. We hope to do the same,8221; noted Gelek Palden, captain of a team of 15 players who made an international debut in the Swedish tournament that begun this Sunday. Wearing blue uniforms, this group of Tibetans 8212; under the name of Snow Lions 8212; were all geared up to play against IF Elfsborg in Gothenburg in their first match.

8220;It is the first time that a team of Tibetans is participating in the tournament and we hope to give our best,8221; smiled team manager Tseten Phuntsok, as he looked at the players who would represent India on the world stage. 8220;Deliberate efforts were made to ensure that the participation is not politicised. For instance, we rejected the idea of calling ourselves team Tibet or Himachal,8221; he added.

Comprising students from different branches of Tibetan Children8217;s Villages 8212; an institution that was established to provide education to Tibetan children in exile 8212; the support for this team comes from the Dalai Lama8217;s sister Jetsun Pema. 8220;She got in touch with the organisers and arranged sponsorship for the team,8221; said Phuntsok, recalling how the team failed to make it to the tournament two years ago due to lack of funds. 8220;Now that we8217;ve managed the finances, we aspire to make our mark,8221; he said.

The players were stationed in Gopalpur and Dehradun for a duration of three months and Nigerian coach Raymond Aduku was called from Delhi to provide them professional training, which included rigorous practice sessions on the field and a protein-rich diet. 8220;One needed to work on the techniques. There were initial hiccups. Many players could not make it to the team since they did not posses identity cards required for travelling. Then replacements had to be arranged. The team going may not be the best, but in football anything can happen. So even this team can win,8221; said Aduku.

For the players, meanwhile, it8217;s the honour of representing the country that8217;s of foremost importance at a time when Tibetans world over are protesting against the Beijing Olympics and fighting for a free Tibet. 8220;When it was announced that players would be chosen for Gothia, almost everyone in my school started practising football,8221; quipped 16-year-old Tenzin Choewang, as he went on to share that his suitcase on the return journey would be filled with chocolates for friends and relatives.

8220;The Europeans have a physical and psychological edge, but that does not deter us,8221; said Jampa Tenzin, 18-year-old striker from Suja. As teammate Nyima Namgyal nodded in approval, and added, 8220;We are a family and our strength will be fair play. We will be happy even if we win one match.8221;