We'll Take the Narrow Road..

It has been some time since I updated you on the progress of Synergy. As we are now underway in our first season in the Buganda Regional League perhaps now is a good time!

On the field we have been seeing the fruits of our labours where hard work in training has translated to 10 points from our first 5 games, leaving us a point off the top of the table, in second position. Our efforts have even led to our first ever coverage in one of the main Ugandan newspapers!

We had also been moving along nicely in the Armoured Brigade Cup, the tournament organised by the army and which some of you might remember us winning last year (despite the army having been so confident that they had already made themselves a congratulatory cake and printed their “winners” certificates!). Having reached the semi final against this very same army team earlier this month, we were then subjected to what must be one of the most ludicrously one sided refereeing performances since the 1981 film “Escape to Victory” (anyone remember it??), and not only once but TWICE!

Escape to Victory, Refereeing at it's worst!

I recollect this simply to help you understand the state of football in Uganda, and show you why our mission to be “salt and light” and a team of integrity in the Pearl of Africa is so necessary!

 So, Take One involved a match strewn with disallowed goals for no conceivable reason, yellow cards brandished every time our players even touched the opposition, and the ref shaking his head and waving away protests from our players when they were hacked down mercilessly as if they were extras in a Bruce Lee movie! That match finished 0-0 and as we prepared for penalties, confident in the fact that at least then there would be a level playing field, we were instead informed that there would be a rematch instead. Ridiculous!

Take Two came a week later, which was just enough time for the army team to bring in some other new and unregistered players to bolster their team (completely against their own rules of course). After a patronising lecture to our players about the need to exercise discipline (HA!!), the match started. Who was the ref? Surely not the same clown who they brought the week before despite our strong protests about his performance after the game? But of course! Back he strolled onto the pitch, no doubt with a wad of shillings fresh from some army commanders bribing fingers, to bring an even more biased performace (quite a feat considering what we had witnessed the week before!).

Out came the yellow cards again, wielded at regular intervals before he obviously felt that yellow was no longer in fashion, and red was in season instead. This interspersed with an army goal, celebrated only when the linesman seemed to suffer a severe stroke, thereby disabling him from raising his arm for what was a clear offside, meant that we were 1-0 down and reduced to only 9 players.

Still we pushed forward like a flood, pinning them back in search for the equaliser, only to be stopped abruptly, before time, by the “final” whistle, putting an end to this comical affair.

When all is said and done, myself and Brian take heart from the fact that such discipline and spirit was maintained by our lads in the face of such adversity. We often say that you learn more when you lose than when you win, and in this case we have certainly learnt that all the teaching we are drilling into our lads about attitude, team spirit, integrity and respect are all hitting the mark! 

So thanks Armoured Brigade, for allowing our boys to shine, and whilst you continue to bribe your way to self glorification, our lads will be walking the narrow road!   

PS. On a completely different note, Sarah saw little baby Survivor today (see 2 blogs previous), whose maama had brought her for review,  and was delighted to see a quality double chin forming on her!