TNSA: Not all fun and games

By Tsering Dhundup

The Gyalyum Chemo Memorial Gold Cup (GCMGC) tournament holds a cherished position among Tibetans as the foremost sports event in the Tibetan diaspora. Sports, particularly football holds a unchallenged stature in the hearts of Tibetans in exile and this tournament has become the alter upon which the love and passion has been held to the fore every year where teams from across India, Nepal, and overseas have come to lock horns.

Behind this tournament is the apex sports body, the Tibetan National Sports Association which has demonstrated remarkable resourcefulness despite comprising of only four active staffs, in operating on a shoestring budget and harboring ambitious plans to propel sustainability when it comes to blending higher ideals through sports into the community.  

However, recent controversies have cast doubts on the transparency, decision-making processes surrounding the tournament and the leadership of the TNSA.

Not a unifying force

The ongoing 2023 GCMGC tournament has no teams from South India despite the region fielding teams that have won the tournament multiple times and many good players over the years. A player who wishes to remain anonymous told Phayul that this is a gesture of boycott against TNSA for failing to hear their grievances.

The decision by the sports body to limit the participation of teams from Tibetan settlements in South India to only three, down from five, has caused significant controversy. This move has been criticized as unfair and unjust, considering that nearly half of the Tibetan exile population resides in Tibetan settlements in South India. Speaking to Phayul, Tenzin Rinchen, the director of TNSA, explained that the rationale behind this change is based on the number of settlements in the region rather than the population.

Tsering Dhundup, popularly known as Affi, a veteran of the game, former Tibetan national team player and representatives from Mundgod argued that this logic is unfair to players from the South based purely on the number of player and team ratio. He pointed out that the South Indian settlements are larger and more populated, and almost half of the Tibetan exile population in the Indian subcontinent lives in South India. He said that reducing the number of teams from the region deprives South Indian players of the opportunity to showcase their talent and hampers their chances of being selected for the Tibetan national teams. The TNSA’s decision to include Goa in the South zone has further limited the chances of teams from the region to participate in the tournament.

A representatives from one the South Indian settlement said they attempted to communicate with TNSA to resolve the issue through phone calls but were unsuccessful.

The last four GCMGC tournaments have been hosted in locations in North India such as Dharamshala, Dehradun and Paonta Sahib. TNSA refused to accommodate proposal to host the tournament in Hunsur Tibetan settlement despite repeated request from representatives of Hunsur settlement. TNSA director Rinchen told Phayul that the selection process for the tournament’s host is based on the proposal letters sent by settlements interested in hosting. The letter should include pictures of the grounds, players’ accommodation, and hospitals, among other requirements. Rinchen asserted that the Hunsur settlement failed to meet these requirements and that the decision to grant the Poanta Cholsum settlement the chance was intended to set an example that smaller settlements could have a chance to host the tournament if they fulfil the requirements.

However, the downside of such move is that teams from South India have disproportionately been burdened financially. Tsering Dhundup, also known as Affi, revealed that teams from South had to spend approximately 9 lakh rupees every year to participate in the tournament held in the North. The development has not only limited the participation of teams from the South but have also hindered their growth. He also added appeals from the South teams to host the tournament after every two years were disregarded by the TNSA.

The inability to unify everyone under a banner of equitable treatment has hence deterred teams from the South including multiple time Champions from Mundgod to boycott the tournament.

Trauma of the last tournament, abuse of power?

Refereeing standards have always been a point of contention over the years. The TNSA head during his remarks to players during a meeting with all the players said that the referees this year are up to the standards of the top domestic leagues in India.

The debacle of last year’s final match between Dhondupling FC and Shimla Football Club (FC) serves as a precautionary anecdote, where the latter walked out of the match following what many say is a refereeing error. While many say that Shilma FC was dealt a harsh blow by the referee, there are views that say that the decision of the referee stands final, even at international level and that abandoning the match was unsportsmanlike and in poor taste of the overall ethos of what the tournament stands for.

The negotiations between representatives of Shimla FC and TNSA did not reach a consensus and the latter penalized the team and its players with a five-year ban. In a press release by the TNSA on June 30, the Tibetan sports governing body stated that Shimla United would not be recognized as the runner-up of the tournament and that the committee had decided to ban the Shimla United players, coach, and manager for five years for walking out of the game. TNSA director Tenzin Rinchen told Phayul that they had given Shimla United FC a month to submit a signed apology letter of the manager, coach and players to potentially reduce the ban. However, Shimla United FC players didn’t send the apology letter.

Representatives from various organizations from Shimla visited Dharamshala and requested a meeting with TNSA members to address the issue. In response, TNSA stated that they had sent a letter to the CRO office in Shimla, providing an additional 15 days for Shimla United FC to send an apology letter. Shimla FC responded, stating that they would only apologize if the TNSA assured them of lifting the five-year ban. As it stands Shimla united FC and its players are still banned for five years to participate in the tournament.

Football fans say that the five-year ban is too long and raised concern whether Shimla FC’s players, coach and management deserves such a heavy punishment. India’s I league player Tenzin Samdup who plays for Kenkre FC as the custodian opined that five years is “too cruel” during a Youtube podcast. He said that five years is very long in a player’s life as a player undergoes great physical change, and that such move is essentially ending their active playing time.

While the handling of the dispute itself is within the jurisdiction of the TNSA, a claim made by a Shimla FC player over the treatment and even pressure by TNSA director is a cause for concern.

A Shimla player Tashi Rabgyal told Phayul that he faced intimidation and pressure from TNSA. He claimed that the TNSA director called the coach of his college where he studied Physical Education Training, to take disciplinary action against him. He was subsequently prohibited from entering the college football ground. Rinchen denied the allegation when asked by Phayul and stated that he did not call anyone.

The incident if true paints a rather promiscuous picture of how a sporting body can exert pressure on individuals and whether such actions are within the moral and legal jurisdiction of a public office holder.

Merchandise deal with Yak Tail

The TNSA on the opening day of the 2023 edition of the GCMGC tournament unveiled a new jersey of the Tibetan national football team, along with other apparels. The deal is for 10 years with a company called Yak Tail which is owned by a Tibetan.  

According to the TNSA director, they had received two offers, one from a European company and the other form Yak Tail. The European deal was deemed less lucrative as the TNSA would receive a mere 2,500 euros as royalty per year while having to purchase 5,000 euros worth of products. As a result, TNSA chose Yak Tail.

The owner of the company Loden told Phayul that the deal with Yak Tail materialized through a chance meeting between TNSA members and Yak Tail owners in Majnukatilla, Delhi. Yak Tail’s owner, Loden, revealed that the contract stipulates a payment of 5 lakh rupees in two instalments per year to TNSA, as well as 3% perpetual royalty on the sale of each jersey and 7% if TNSA sells the jerseys. Additionally, they would pay 15% if TNSA manages to sell the jerseys overseas. The annual lumpsum royalty deal from Yak Tail is significantly better that the deal proposed by Copa. Rinchen also said during the meeting with players that a deal with a Tibetan also serves as a form of solidarity to Tibetan businesses.

The only concern with the deal is that TNSA never issued any public tender or invitation for merchandise deal for the public. The deal with Yak Tail although more lucrative compared to the last deal is vetoed by TNSA and does not follow any set procedural protocol raising concerns of operational integrity. If no other parties were alerted of the opportunity, how can the existing deal be definitively regarded the best deal for TNSA?

Phayul’s research into the company’s track record led to a website that does not function, an Instagram page with no content. Rinchen told Phayul that Yak Tail has years of experience in the apparel industry and the owner operates three apparel factories based in of Delhi’s Tank road, the hub for wholesale apparel business in the national capital Delhi.

Positives

TNSA has always been underfunded and undermanned over the course of its formal inception in May 2002. The current leadership led by director Rinchen has showed bursts of innovation in generating resources for a new indoor futsal ground named Tongtsen futsal ground in Dehra Dun. The facility is a set to generate an income stream for TNSA once the loan is repaid and will foster sustainability for Tibetan football.

The leadership role by TNSA in becoming a member of the CONIFA organising body is also lauded by Tibetan football lovers. The Tibetan apex body hosted the CONIFA Women World Football Cup 2022 last year in Paonta Sahib Tibetan settlement despite limited financial and human resources. The men’s national team will be participating in the 2024 CONIFA Mens Football World Cup. Such leadership role in the international tournaments, fans say, will bolster Tibetan football and also give impetus to campaigns related to awareness and sensitization of Tibetan cause at large.