Soccer Coach Zoran and his African Tigers Storyville

This programme contains very strong language.

We wanted to start football in South Sudan.

Now we want to choose the nickname of the South Sudan national team

and for the coach.

Tigers!

Nickname, Tiger, Zoran.

My nickname in coaching - Tiger, fighter, winner, champion!

You understand?

Win, eat, everything.

You understand?

South Sudan, one day in the World Cup.

OK?

My name is Zoran Djordjevic, I'm from Serbia.

I'm national team head coach of South Sudan's football team.

Why did you move the goals yourself?

Because I understand if I don't move it myself, it'll never happen.

As a coach, you must always motivate people

and yourself must be motivated to go beyond limits.

I give passport, before telephone.

All my money I give. I not care, I will give even blood.

Help him, like this. Help him, help him.

Ladies, ladies, ladies.

When I was young, I was a killer, but even now I'm still a tiger.

I am coach in 14 country, I am 15 times champion.

I was in every part of the globe.

Then I got a call from a country I had never heard of before.

South Sudan defied the odds simply by being born.

South Sudan, oyee!

-NEWSREADER:

-In the last half-hour, the world's newest country

has come into existence.

The birth of South Sudan comes after two decades of the Sudanese

civil war, which claimed some two million lives.

The flag for South Sudan will float as high

and as proud as any other flag!

My name is Chabur.

The first president of the South Sudan Football Association.

Chabur Goc Alei, president of the Football Federation

has brought great hope to South Sudan with

the appointment of veteran coach Zoran Djordjevic.

Today our new coach will begin the search for players to form

the first ever national team.

Write your name here.

-My name?

-Yes, and your telephone.

Thank you.

He is very fast.

Unbelievable.

I never seen in my life in one place such talent.

Outstanding talents like here.

My name is Thomas Jacob.

I play midfield.

HE WHISTLES A TUNE

Like this, please, you know this is my champion.

-Hello.

-OK.

-OK.

I want South Sudan...

..to be a winner in the Africa Cup.

I want South Sudan to be in the World Cup.

I want South Sudan to be in Rio de Janeiro!

Let's do it, that's the objective!

I have to tell you honestly,

if I go outside I don't have money for taxi.

I don't have car, I go in the street and people recognise me.

"Oh, coach, where you want to go?"

I not tell him I don't have car

because I'm ashamed from this. I'm national coach and no car.

OK. But I know from difficult situation will come big things.

If you give me little, little, little support,

what I tell you, I swear to God I will realise.

Do you have any kind of map?

I come in to ask you to help me to give me some map.

I come to take some map

because I have to travel around the country.

And what I will do, cry with this car, huh?

-You say you need car.

-I need car. Good car. Normal working.

That not good?

Not good. You see this? Not good.

OK. You introduce me, please.

Yes, brothers.

This is the head coach of the national team.

And he is now here.

Everyone have to dream. Big dream.

You have big dream, you will achieve.

When you are winner, everybody respect you.

When you are loser, nobody...

even your girlfriend will leave you tomorrow.

Because you are loser and you don't have money.

You see? When you are loser, nobody respect you.

Nobody!

Hassan Ismail Konyi. Under my control,

after two years, he will be in Liverpool, Manchester,

Real Madrid or Barcelona.

I tell you something!

Trust what I tell you!

My name is Hassan Ismail Konyi. My position is striker.

Very good, very good, very good.

Why?

Wait, wait, wait.

Baby, come, come!

Come, come, come.

This is, er...who?

This is Champion.

This is Champion. I love him.

I'm sure he will give us big inspiration and spirit

because he's innocent.

And in our life, we need innocent things.

I will try to bring him always with me.

Very beautiful.

Like Picasso design him.

HE BLEATS

HE BLEATS

Every match is like last in my life.

Especially this one.

Because this match is not only for result.

This match is for, um...how to say?

For dignity of South Sudan.

CHEERING

CHEERING

APPLAUSE

FAINT TANNOY

WHISTLE

REFLECTIVE PIANO RECITAL

HE SHOUTS

FINAL WHISTLE

FAINT TANNOY

CHEERING

For all of us and especially the people who died for this country.

They in heaven, they follow what happens in the country.

I believe we not disappoint Him.

LAUGHTER

THUNDERCLAP

THUNDERCLAP

"Africa's newest nation and its much larger northern neighbour

"have edged to the very brink of all-out war.

"Disputes about oil have led to violent clashes

"and bellicose rhetoric."

Looting our oil is a crime!

As you know, the south has all the oil

and the north has the pipelines and the refineries.

And for years, the north has been taking the oil,

keeping most of the profits.

So South Sudan shut down their oil production.

They just stopped.

Well, austerity was a decision that the government took

when we closed the oil wells

after our disputes with the Republic of Sudan.

Even water and tea and all these basic, non-essential things

we have to do away with them for the time being.

South Sudan is a land smashed by war.

There is a saying here that a bad beginning makes a good ending.

This is a land where hope often overcomes all apparent

practical logic.

Hi, good morning.

I have to see urgently...minister.

I will wait for him. One hour, three hours,

because very urgent. I have to see him.

You are secretary?

You see what you do, you fill the form.

I don't have experience with these things

and I am national coach, Mister.

I go to the President of the United Nations without appointment.

New nation, they have to learn efficiency.

I come here to teach the people, not people to teach me.

And this is wrong. This is slow motion, tomorrow, sign this paper.

My position is bigger than minister,

I tell you something for your knowledge.

I am responsible for ten million or more young people of South Sudan.

No need to comment.

-I want to see Dr Cirino necessary.

-Urgent.

But he's not around.

How, where is...? Call him.

-You don't have number?

-Yes.

This is his house.

Yes, but he's not around.

In his house, nobody have his telephone? This not true.

Come, come.

OK, we go there and call.

Now, please, I need...necessary to tell something for Dr Cirino.

-He's my friend.

-He's not around.

He have telephone, mobile.

-He has not communicated to us.

-Really?

He's outside South Sudan.

But sure he have telephone there.

But he has not communicated to us.

Very important, Mister.

Sorry, we do not know. We didn't know the telephone number.

If we are to know, we can give it to you. Why to say no?

It means he's now dead? This is not acceptable, my friend.

He's not dead. He's gone for a journey.

No, but this is for government.

He has gone for a journey but I do not have his telephone number.

Please write me your name and your telephone.

-I will not.

-You don't have name?

What position you have for Dr Cirino?

I have to tell him I meet this man and he tell me

he cannot contact you.

I cannot contact him because I do not have the number!

You give me your number and name - what is wrong?

-Maybe I need your help.

-Tell me the problem. I will help you.

I don't have money! I am national coach.

He and Dr Machar tell me that he will give me money,

that he will give me car.

This was before four or five months, six months.

Now I do my job, every day with my money, I borrow money.

My family send me money.

I don't want these beautiful people and country to die.

I fight for the benefit of your people.

Good looking!

Yes, yes, yes!

You prove that you have talent.

I'm sure people will recognise your talent in world level.

For that reason you go there be proud that you're South Sudanese

and do your best.

God bless you! Be a man. Tiger!

Lion! Eagle!

God bless you.

Hi, everyone. This is Hassan from South Sudan.

-Hey, Hassan.

-This is Mosey.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Astros Vasas FC would like to take this opportunity to welcome

one of our own. A warm welcome to Hassan Ismail from South Sudan.

Welcome to Toronto.

The temperature is quite high.

-Severe malaria.

-It's quite a high

level of parasitemia. Four crosses.

Zoran has come into the clinic.

He has P-Falciparum malaria

and he has four plusses, which is severe, severe malaria.

Within a few days Zoran could go into organ failure

and that is a process that cannot be reversed.

We need to come up with a commitment

and we're not prepared to come up with a full commitment right now.

I'm a bit disappointed

because I really wanted you to have an opportunity to play here.

So this time around it didn't work, but surely next time around.

I wish you better luck.

MAN SINGS IN OWN LANGUAGE

Fifth, Miskeen Emmanuel from Naseer Juba.

Seventh, Attack Lual from Hilal Juba,

eighth, Thomas Jacob Matthew, Malakia Juba,

nine Hassan Ismail Konya, FC Kator Juba.

We can write for our team, shirts is white.

OK, write "white".

Then shorts white and socks white.

There is space more, write.

I need perfect, I accept only champion way.

Only champion way, my friend.

As you know and everybody around the world knows

still petrol not in function, OK.

And in this moment is for us very difficult to pay tickets.

I want to ask you, please try to convince your people,

your federation to help us as a new country for ticket.

To pay for us ticket.

Now I talk with the coach, go now.

-Go there, go there.

-No!

You cannot speak in telephone! You cannot speak now.

OK, finish, you talk.

It's not normal, it's not normal.

I speak, you have to stop. You!

And you after give. What is this behaviour?

Hey! I'M the coach here!

-Zoran...not good like this.

-No, Mister. I'm right.

If you are like, this how can you manage these young people?

We give you the responsibility.

You ask me how I manage?

You ask me how I manage? Without nothing.

For the future generation?

Listen. You ask me how I manage?

You not see how I manage?

Without support, without food, without friendly game,

without anything, without field, without two goals, I manage!

Here I saw now six months... sleepy situation.

I try, I fight, I'm not nervous, I'm not under drugs,

I never use alcohol but...

Football is my life.

Everything what I have... I have from football.

For that reason my father, 88, 89 years old he tell me,

"Zoran, these people need help, you go there and help them."

I go there, I forget money, I forget honesty here,

I forget everything.

But I cannot accept people who is paid through to the government.

People who have position in this beautiful building.

Not active, lazy and not fair.

COWS MOO

They must open the door for stadium.

All players here, doctor here, assistant coach here.

Tell him I will broke myself the door, I will broke the door.

This stadium for this country!

And there is BBC TV, all world will see corrupted, rubbish,

dirty people broke this beautiful team. I tell you something!

No problem, boys, this is your country, this is your field, OK?

Don't give up.

Yes, Coach, we came, we hired the vehicle

but the vehicle is small and the poles are big.

Nobody can explain to me the reason we don't go there.

Only reason I can say is laziness, not responsibility...

and if we do not participate in this competition,

I think this is tragedy.

WAILING

The people who are leading football in South Sudan

were against our willing to come and participate in this tournament.

But nobody can stop me.

Nobody can stop Zoran.

CHEERING

Tournament will be very tough, but we never give up,

we'll do our best to come back with dignity

from this very important tournament,

first tournament of history of new country, South Sudan.

This one here. This one here.

How much is this?

-500.

-Look, I will give you 60.

Yeah, we don't have this money. Honestly speaking,

I don't have this money. I have 50,000. I have 50,000.

80, I can give you.

OK. OK.

'Football new kids South Sudan are competing for the first time

'in CECAFA, Africa's oldest football tournament.

'The newborn nation will face Ethiopia, Kenya

'and reigning champions Uganda

'in what experts are calling the group of death.'

Coach, South Sudan does not have a very established league.

Just how hard was it for you to come up with a team

for this year's tournament?

I come here with the best-prepared team.

We do not have an excuse.

We come here with willing and motivation to win the tournament.

WHISTLE BLOWS

0-0 first half. Second half, now we have to win.

We have to win second half.

CLAPS OF THUNDER

We try today to play much better

and I believe today we win.

WHISTLE BLOWS

Thomas! Thomas!

HE SHOUTS

WHISTLE BLOWS

I'm the happiest man in the world...

because you lose, but you lose with dignity...

because you show something big, and people saw this.

Your dignity is the highest level

because all people know you come here without weapon,

but you fight with your heart, with your mind.

This was fantastic.

I feel I am coach for the best team in the world.

-Long live!

-South Sudan!

-Long live!

-South Sudan!

-Long live!

-South Sudan!

I believe my job will be finished.

Everybody say, "Coach lose all games, not score goal,

"team look like big loser."

It's a great tragedy in South Sudan

because the President of Football Federation, Mr Chabur Ali,

he blocked our work, he betrayed the country

and sabotaged these beautiful young people with great talent,

with great spirit and great willing.

These people, like Chabur, they deserve only prison,

and this is criminals in sport.

This is... - how can I say? - terrorists in sport.

I say, "I'm ready to go in prison if I'm wrong." I'm right.

-Very sorry, Mister. Sorry for losing but...

-No, it's OK.

But they do their best and we're not ashamed for this loss,

we're proud about that. OK. Let's go.

We have a problem now.

We're in the airport and we cannot come back now

because we don't have money for tickets

and I don't know now how we'll fix the problem.

I have now my manager near me, Mr Emmanuel. He will explain.

Hello?

Hello?

Why a result like this? It's not very nice.

Situation is very serious.

-Mr Deng, situation is very serious, very critical.

-Finish!

Finish Chabur, but now they finish us also!

LAUGHTER

RADIO: 'No-one thought it would be easy for South Sudan

'to grow into a fully-functioning state.

'But two years after independence,

'their new nation is beset by tribal conflict and rising poverty.'

HE BANGS ON THE DOOR

-Forget it.

-Zoran, what's happened?

What's happened? You know, sleepy federation.

Dead.

-It's closed or...?

-Closed, all closed.

Why?

Because they win World Cup,

now they have the right to rest before Christmas.

-Funny.

-But they DIDN'T win the World Cup.

In this way...no hope. Let's go.

Come on, baby.

BLEATING

Champion...when he was small baby.

I bring him with me

to be our mascot,

to be our symbol of our ambition,

of our brotherhood, of our humanity.

Sometimes, people betray you, they forget you.

But animals, you know, they never betray you.

Beautiful animal. Beautiful.

I can say he's my best friend here.

My baby, I love you.

I love you too much.

I will never betray you.

Zoran is chicken.

This beautiful country started with hope and joy.

Now all dreams are broken.

I want to go home.

The tiger will roar again but not in South Sudan.