IT’S not everyday that you would think the topics of Celtic’s legendary ‘Lisbon Lions’ team would come up in conversation with the topic of Western Equatoria, an impoverished region of South Sudan.
However the two worlds have been brought together through the work of Scottish-Irish Emmy award winning documentarian Jamie Doran, who has filmed in some of the most dangerous places on earth including covering groups such as the Taliban and ISIS.
The filmmaker has teamed up with Alison Tunga, a man from South Sudan who was the leader of the ‘Arrow Boys’ a group which effectively drove out war criminal Joseph Kony and his brutal Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) from South Sudan.
Doran met Tunga whilst filming their fight against Kony’s LRA. Armed with nothing more than bows and arrows, the Arrow Boys used their expert knowledge of the bush to push back one of the most heavily armed terrorist organisations on earth from their terrirtory. Now free from the tyranny of Kony and the LRA, Alison Tunga and Jamie Doran are seeking to build a school in South Sudan for up to 500 children, many of whom were former child soldiers.
DEFENCE: Arrow Boys in South Sudan drove warlord Joseph Kony from their land and ended his reign of terror
The school is set to be named after Celtic’s legendary goalkeeper John Fallon from their Lisbon Lions squad and will be called ‘The 12th Lion School’.
Speaking on the project and how the story of Celtic’s 12th Lisbon Lion came to South Sudan, Jamie said:
“At the moment there is no school at all. The children are educated under trees and when it rains they have to send the kids home. They’re learning in the most basic way. I’ve stayed in touch and become friends with Alison Tunga and we always talk about Celtic. He was always fascinated by me telling him all about Celtic and my crazy interest in Celtic. We came to the idea of building a school for these kids. We got the land donated by a local chief recently. We’ve now got the cost and building plans and we want to cut the ground within the coming months.”
“I would trust Alison with my life, and I did so in fact for many months while filming there. We would like to get the school built before the end of this year to accommodate just over 500 kids. These kids are from the surrounding villages and they have nothing. Many of these children don’t have parents because their parents were murdered by the Lord’s Resistance Army. They’re some of the most traumatised kids you could come across.”
SCHOOL: Children from Western Equatoria are currently having to learn underneath trees
Jamie continued, stating why he wanted to make sure the children of Western Equatoria had access to a normal education after their horrific experiences:
“The Arrow Boys risked their lives beyond belief to drive out the LRA. They knew the bush better than anyone else and used their bows and arrows against Kalashnikovs. Finally Western Equatoria is peaceful and because the land is so lush it could be one of Africa’s biggest breadbaskets. It’s got fantastically rich soil but farmers weren’t able to operate because everyone lived in fear of the LRA.
"Now there is some stability they want to give the kids a chance to grow up normally, or as normally as it’s possible. The LRA would recruit child soldiers by entering and tying up the men and violating and killing the women. They would then get machetes and force the men to beg their own children to kill them. If the child refused both would be killed. That’s how Kony recruited the most effecient child soldiers imaginable who operated without any feeling, because they started off by carrying out the worst possible execution.”
Jamie explained that he wanted the school to be named after John Fallon due to being a humongous Celtic fan throughout his entire life and also having done several documentaries on the club including 2004’s ‘Jimmy Johnstone: Lord of the Wing’ and ‘The Fans Who Make Football’ for Al Jazeera which focused on Celtic supporters in the North of Ireland.
Jamie said: “Throughout my work I’ve got to meet all of the Lisbon Lions and I was very lucky to do a documentary on Jimmy ‘Jinky’ Johnstone. Those 11 men got all the fame imaginable. However everyone forgot about the 12th Lion.
“That was John Fallon. In the 1960s you were only allowed one substitute and that was the goalkeeper, and John Fallon was Celtic’s substitute goalkeeper.”
Exclusive: #Celtic fan and film-maker Jamie Doran on Jinky, Female Ultras, and Bhoys in Baghdad @67HailHail https://t.co/QOie21e3Nt
— Celtic news now (@Celticnewsnow) February 16, 2021
Jamie explained the controversy surrounding John Fallon being left out and how after winning the game, his medal was actually taken off him by manager Jock Stein and instead presented to Celtic chairman Patrick Kelly.
“John was awarded his winner’s medal, quite rightly as he was there the whole game ready to stand in for Ronnie Simpson, and in the changing room after being presented with it Jock Stein of all people took the medal off him and gave it to the Chairman. I’ve been trying to get John the recognition for what he achieved. He’s such a lovely fella and I’m trying to get him the recognition he deserves. It’s something that drives me. John himself has Irish roots and also the supporters in Ireland have done so much to ensure that he’s remembered as the 12th Lion. To name a school in South Sudan after John as the 12th Lion would just be beautiful.”
LEGEND: John Fallon (L) with Ronnie Simpson (R) when he played for The Hoops
John Fallon was finally reunited with his original medal in 2021 after it was spotted by a fan. The Andersonstown News spoke to John to ask about the school in South Sudan being named for him and he also shared some of his footballing highlights and why when he travels to Belfast he always pays a visit to the grave of Charlie Tully who played for both Belfast Celtic and Glasgow Celtic.
John said: “I was really surprise when Jamie suggested it. It all started when my real medal was presented to me. He phoned me up and said I have a wee proposition and I said I was very proud to be associated with it. They’re calling it the ‘The 12th Lion School’. I’ve brought it up with a few of the Celtic supporters in Scotland and in Ireland too. Jamie said he wanted the story about it to come out first here in Belfast.”
REUNITED: John after receiving back his original European Cup Final medal in 2021
Speaking on his Irish roots John said he’ll be over again this year to try and find some more about his family who were originally from just outside Sligo town.
“I’m heading over to Sligo in March to try and find out more history of my family. I always like to call in to Belfast when I’m over and meet up with some friends and go to The Felons.
"I’m been very good friends with Jim Mervyn in Belfast for many years who’s big in Celtic supporter circles. I always wanted to play for Ireland. Ireland asked for permission for me to play for them in 1969 and so did Scotland but they both got knocked back. I wasn’t too bothered about not playing for Scotland, but I was more upset about not being able to play for Ireland!”
On his time playing in the legendary Lisbon Lion’s squad in 1967 John said:
“You were sitting on your nails the whole time worrying whether things were going to go right. In Lisbon when we came up the big tunnel Stein said to me ‘get you up to that bench at the front’ and [Helenio] Herrera the Inter Milan manager tried to push me off it. I refused to move and the Portuguese police said to him to leave me alone and that the bench was Celtic’s!
“I have some fantastic memories playing with Celtic. There was the match in Montevideo in Uruguay against Agentina’s Racing Club in 1967. Ronnie Simpson got hit on the head with something and had to come off. Big Jock said it was my turn to come on and I made some tough saves but we unfortunately lost that game. I also really loved the one we won against Benfica in 1969 where we won through the tossing of a coin, and also when we beat Rangers 4-0 in the cup in ’69 and we won the treble that year too!”
CELEBRATIONS: John Fallon after Celtic's 3-2 victory over Dunfermline in April 1965
John also spoke of his respect and appreciation for Belfast & Glasgow Celtic hero Charlie Tully who was a legendary member of the Glasgow side during the 1950s.
“When I’m in Belfast I always go up to Charlie’s grave. I remember going to Belfast years ago and we went to Milltown and I said I wanted to go to Charlie Tully’s grave. No-one could tell me where it was. When I heard that I caused bother! So we went looking for it, we went to City [Cemetery] and the one on the hill [Our Lady’s, Hannahstown] and eventually Charlie Tully’s daughter heard about it and got in touch with me and I went with Charlie Gallagher laid a wreath. That was one of the greatest things I felt going to Belfast was going to visit Charlie Tully’s grave.”
You can donate to the 12th Lion School here:
