Players of a 20-yr-old Tibetan soccer club, called the Dhasa United Football Club, 
today manifested their strong opposition to the soon-to-be launched Qinghai-Tibet railway by wearing black armbands during a match against Dhauladhar Club, another Dharamsala-based Indian club. The “Black Armband” campaign, part of the global protest campaign against China’s July 1 inauguration of the controversial railway was launched by the exile Tibetans in Dharamsala on June 18.
The Tibetan players not only managed to score a neat 6 goals with no loss but also managed to create awareness among their opponents about the negative impacts of the railway on the Tibetan people, their culture, identity and environment. Tsering Ngodup, one of the players from the Tibetan club said the Indian players were at first taken off-guard when they saw the Tibetans streaming down in the field with black armbands but later they wanted to know more about the campaign and also expressed their solidarity and support.
It was among the early matches being played in Dharamsala under the Kargil Memorial Football Tournament, organised by the Dharamsala Veteran Football Association. The team has now reached the quarter finals after today’s spectacular victory. In all the subsequent matches, Tibetan players will continue to wear the black armbands and create more awareness on the issue.
The Dhasa United Football Club took the second spot during last year’s Kargil tournament. The Club was also adjudged the “Most Disciplined Team” at the tournament. The club has played at various local and regional football tournaments in the past. Although they had invariably secured the second position in most of the soccer events, the final Cup remained elusive so far. However, hopes are high among the players that this time at the ongoing Kargil tournament, they will break the jinx.
