BEND IT LIKE BHUTAN! Bhutan and Montserrat. Yes they did make the World Cup Final. Filmmakers Johan Kramer, and Matthijs de Jongh were there at the touchline.

On the same day in 2002 as Germany and Brazil played in the World Cup Final in Japan, the national teams of Bhutan and Montserrat met in an official FIFA sanctioned, friendly match in Thimphu, the Bhutanese capital. Ranked at the very bottom of international soccer, they played strictly for the love of the game. The film (released in 2003) follows the two teams in their respective countries as they prepare for the match, travel to the stadium and play in the Other Final. 
In 2001, "Dutch filmmaker Johan Kramer pondered the quality of failure after one-time footie greats Holland never made it to the World Cup finals in 2002. What if... he thought. What if the two worst teams in the world had their own cup final? He checked the FIFA rankings on the internet and there they were - Bhutan 202nd and Montserrat 203rd. These countries could hardly be more different. Bhutan is a tiny Himalayan nation, tucked away at the top of India on its border with China, where examples of Buddhist tradition are in evidence everywhere. Montserrat is a Caribbean island, famous for its active volcano, where strains of the reggae rhythm can be heard throughout. The film may talk of the beautiful game, but it's the people who make it such an uplifting, human experience. Football is the catalyst. Without Kramer's concept, these countries would never have heard of each other.

Montserrat's national game is cricket, Bhutan's is archery. In Montserrat, they have lived with fear of volcanic eruption and grown accustomed to the damage caused by its ash, displaying a resilience, born of hardship. They have grace, good humour and a natural modesty. Things are never too serious with them, except this match, perhaps. 

In Bhutan, they wear kilts and have a monarchy ("His Majesty used to be a very good goalkeeper") and talk of GNH as the country's ultimate goal - GNH stands for Growth National Happiness. They are a gentle, intelligent and exquisitely polite people, who speak excellent English." ...(Review by The Wolf on iofilm.co.uk)

    Read more of this review on iofilm.co.uk from the link below.

HIGHANGLE.CO.UK REVIEW

"Maybe you can blame Louis Van Gaal. The Dutch soccer coach steered his team to third place in their World Cup qualifying group, behind Portugal and Ireland, to make sure fans of the Orange would have a big hole in their holiday plans for summer 2002. Inspired by this new national cult of losing, Mathius de Jongh decided to organise his own football tournament. Instead of the World Cup final, de Jongh decided to champion The Other Final.

FIFA (the Federation of International Football Associations) ranks each of its member teams. Kramer decided to go right to the bottom and coming in at 202 and 203 in the rankings were Bhutan and Montserrat respectively. The Caribbean island of Montserrat has around 150 amateur players with the national league consisting of five teams. In 1996 a volcanic eruption rendered half of the island uninhabitable and destroyed the national football stadium. Montserrat has a huge 900 hundred or so playing fields but creating pitches in the Himalayan mountain region takes a bit of time and money. It is the newest member of FIFA and in 1999 they were beaten 20-0 by Kuwait.

Kramer organises an official FIFA friendly between these two disparate nations in order to prove once and for all who the worst team in the world is. Bhutan as the higher ranked team is given home advantage. This means that Montserrat have to take a nightmare 5-day journey involving countless flights and airline meals. They also have to put up with their keyboard-playing goalkeeper breaking into song every time he sits still. Did you know the Montserrat anthem is 'Hot Hot Hot'? To make matters worse 7 players pick up food poisoning along the way.

On June 30th the dream came to fruition. While Brazil and Germany were bidding to become the champions of the world, Bhutan and Montserrat were hoping they would no longer be the worst in the world. In front of an enthusiastic crowd of 20,000, including the prince of the realm and the full cabinet, both teams strode out for their date with destiny in the capital of Bhutan, Thimphu. While torrential rain briefly threatened the game, the pitch was passed playable and the match became the first Bhutan international to be televised live in the country. As English referee Stephen Bennett blew his whistle this truly was history in the making. The game had no commercial interests; no sponsors and the tickets were free. As de Jongh says: "It's not about who wins or loses it's about a love for the game."

If you are a sucker for sporting documentaries, (even if you are not) then you shouldn't miss out on The Other Final. Legendary Italian forward Roberto Baggio has said: "In a time where it's all about commercialism this was an almost naive project that put love for the game first. It was able to show us that football is a language everyone can speak." One interview with the Bhutan foreign minister sums up the appeal of the film as he relates how he is more concerned with Gross National Happiness (GNP) than GDP. Directed by Johan Kramer and with a soundtrack featuring Death in Vegas and Moby this is professional filmmaking even if some of the football on show isn't." Review by Greig Cameron from highangle.co.uk

AFTER THE MATCH

A Good time was had by all at the Ohm Bar, Thimphu

THE OTHER OFFICIAL WEBSITE

http://www.theotherfinal.com/

BOOKS Bhutan-Monserrat: The Other Final   Availability: Usually ships within 1-2 business days from $25.50 Edition: Paperback BUY TODAY THROUGH BOOTAN.COM

Links to more info about THE OTHER FINAL

GRAND PRIZE WINNER
of the 2003 Banff mountain film festival
http://www.mountainfilmfestival.co.uk/films2004.htm

Internet Movie Database
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0379419/

Sports Illustrated
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/world/2002/
world_cup/news/2002/06/30/bhutan_montserrat/

SF International Asian American Film Festival
http://www.naatanet.org/cgi/2004/festival.cgi?op=program
Feature&id=2047&tmpl=ProgramFeature.tmpl

iofilm.co.uk
http://www.iofilm.co.uk/fm/o/other_final_2003.shtml

thezreview.co.uk
http://www.thezreview.co.uk/reviews/o/otherfinalthe.htm

TheFA.com
http://www.thefa.com/TheFA/InternationalRelations/
NewsAndFeatures/Postings/2002/06/14825.htm

MORE BLOGS

A look at football in Bhutan
http://www.mypage.bluewin.ch/raonline/pages/story/
bt/btfootball02.html

News Group messages on "the Other Cup"
"Hey everyone's watching the wrong match..."
http://groups.google.com/groups?...

The Other Final: Bhutan v Montserrat
Forget Japan...The two worst teams in the world fight it out...June 30th 2002

Montserrat are the clear underdogs for this match at the Chlanglimithang Stadium in Thimphu (Bhutan)...they're ranked 203rd out of 203 in FIFA's world rankings. Bhutan, a country whose national sport is archery, are a lofty 202nd.

Played on the same day as the World Cup Final, the match (an official FIFA fixture) will be the subject of a documentary to appear later in the year.

"The Other Final shows the real spirit of football in a clear and passionate way. It's an example the football world should follow, a stimulus for the more famous final of the World Cup; the discovery of pure amusement and love for this sport. It will be able to show us that football is a language everyone can speak. In a time where it's all about commercialism, here is an almost naive project that puts love for the game first." Roberto Baggio Legendary Italian Forward
www.libraryweblog.com

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