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... a story about a national football team without a nation ... On 30th of June 2001, in Copenhagen, Denmark, a framework was formed for a historical football match; a match which FIFA and the Chinese government tried to prevent from taking place. The agreed upon match between Tibet and Greenland, would be the first international game ever played by Tibet. ”The Forbidden Team” is an exceptional story about a group of enthusiastic Danish and Tibetan souls that share a common dream of forming a national football team composed of exiled Tibetans. We follow the team from their first coaching sessions in Dharamsala, India - on a craggy, grassless pitch - to the last whistle in Copenhagen two years later. In the film, we meet a number of colourful characters and learn about their different opinions of the team: Danish coach Jens Espensen who describes the squad as “extremely poor” and fears complete humiliation against Greenland; Karma, the team’s Tibetan manager who is a determined dreamer, and Sonam, captain of the team, who represents the new generation of Tibetans. A generation that has grown up outside of Tibet and is used to the western lifestyle. The players’ Buddhist philosophy of life also manifests itself on the pitch where it is important for them not to show aggression. It is a philosophy that is hard for an ambitious Danish coach to accept. He believes in discipline, hard work and a strong winning attitude. As the team begins to take shape, the problems start to mount. The match hangs by a single thread. Because the players are stateless they cannot obtain exit visas. Only eight of them succeed in leaving the country. The coach has only a few final days to find a handful of Tibetan football players somewhere in Europe. Despite the efforts of the Chinese government, the match finally takes place in Copenhagen. The excitement in the stadium is immense. The match is broadcasted directly to Tibet via “Radio Free Tibet,” and the cheers at home are endless as Tibet scores the first goal of the game. Even though the match ends with Greenland winning 4-1, it is a big win for Tibet and the beginning of a new era in Tibetan history. In short, ”The Forbidden Team” is a humorous documentary about a cultural clash, dreams coming true, and football, as Buddha would have played it! |