The Tibetan National Football Team has made its untimely exit from the FIFI (Football International Federation of Independents) Wild Cup tournament that is being played in Hamburg, Germany but it has won scores of fans and has been dubbed “winner of hearts” by the spectators at the tournament.
According to Andreas Hilmer, a photographer at the tournament, the Tibetan team attracted lots of attention and interests from the crowd, among which there were some who even asked for autographs from the players. Andreas said the greatest thing about the team’s participation was the enormous attention that the Tibetan cause received.
At every match the Tibetans played, the stadium resonated with the joyous shouts of the cheering crowd who egged on the players among the colourful flutters of Tibetan national flags and Khatags (traditional Tibetan ceremonial scarves). More than two thousand people turned up especially to watch the Tibetans play and the figure is believed to be the largest compared to other matches played at FIFI, said Andrea. The infectious spirit of sportsmanship displayed by the Tibetan team was unmistakable. The team began and ended every match with the Tibetan national anthem and songs.
The defeat faced by the team was, in some ways, a foregone conclusion as they lost to teams that included professional players. For instance, half of the team of Gibraltar had many experienced Spanish players while the Tibetan team had only one player who plays for a professional team at Schaffhausen/Swizerland.
