By Tenzin Nyinjey
Once again the Tibetan Diaspora, like rest of the world, is treated to the feast of greatest sporting event on earth, the FIFA World Cup. I still remember how as a young teenage boy my heart was broken into pieces when Italy, one of the traditional power houses of the game, lost the 1994 world cup final to a country that comparatively had “nothing” to do with the Tibetan cause: Brazil.
That historic final between the two nations was decided in a worst possible scenario one could imagine in this “beautiful” game: penalty shootouts. How could Italian fans, especially the die-hard Tibetans, forget that moment when Roberto Baggio, the pony-tailed Italian captain and a self-declared Buddhist (some even said he was an admirer of His Holiness) walked on the field to take the last spot kick. What happened after that is a “tragedy” deeply steeped into the memory of Italian football fans, particularly Tibetans like myself who still remain loyal supporters of the Azzuris.
Italy during those days had just come out of their shell as a Tibet supporter. As far as my knowledge goes, hardly any Tibet Support Group was formed in that country. The Italian province of South Tyrol, often referred to as a model of autonomous arrangement for future Tibet by His Holiness, was a total stranger to the ears of young educated Tibetans. Despite all this, it was intriguing to see Tibetan football fan of every hue and shape standing like a rock-solid behind that Italian football team.
Was that phenomenon due to Baggio’s professed admiration for Tibetan Buddhism and His Holiness the Dalai Lama? Why, a loss for Italy in the final, made us so depressed that it took us months to get the smiles back on our faces? Why did we mourn the loss in a manner that would give the then organisers of the 10 March Anniversary a run for their money? These were the questions popping up in my mind as I was getting ready for a more recent momentous game between South Korea and
Switzerland that would decide whether an Asian nation could go through to the knockout phase of the tournament. I was surprised to see my friend, a monk at the Nechung Monastery, supporting Korea rather than Switzerland. I used all the persuasive tools available at my disposal to make sure he switched his loyalty over to Switzerland. This is because South Korea, as we all know, has consistently refused to grant visa to His Holiness the Dalai Lama; of course under pressure from the Chinese leaders.
Indeed I was plunged into a deep pandemonium: if Tibetans support a foot-balling nation based on its professed affinity to Tibetan Buddhism, then how about the monk who proudly expressed his loyalty to the Koreans than Switzerland, a country which has been a safe haven for countless of Tibetan refugees and hosts one of the offices of Tibet of the Central Tibetan Administration.
Perhaps the answer to the question why we support a particular nation lies somewhere else. It is probably the Tibetans’ love for the game itself and how it is played that determines their support to a particular nation. Within the past ten years, it seems perceptions of the game have changed with a deep appreciation of the teams, and not the countries and the roles they have played in the Tibetan struggle. A Tibetan Buddhist monk supporting Korea rather than Switzerland perhaps
is a stamp of approval and appreciation to the style of football the Red Devils display; their tremendous physical and mental ability to overcome all the odds, and the amount of hard work they have put in to make their nation one of the most formidable football sides in the world.
And perhaps that was the reason why I had a mixed feeling of joy and sadness when my favourite team, Italy, knocked the awesome Australians out of this year’s World Cup!
Note: The views expressed here are personal views of the author and have nothing to do with the institution/organisation that he works for. He can be reached at nyinjey@yahoo.com
