I have been waiting to post this blog entry
as I knew that a time for reflection would be of great benefit before writing
it. I will start by telling you what has happened, before moving onto what God
has done through it.
This season at Synergy has been immense.
Brian, as manager, the players, and the spirit and belief of the team, combined
this season to bring us an opportunity that few teams ever have: a playoff
place to Uganda Premier League.
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| Synergy players before the play off final |
A string of exceptional performances that
saw us win all but one match between Christmas and the end of the season, ensured
we finished second in the table propelling us into the playoffs. After
winning the play off semi final 3-1, we headed into the final, where we were to
meet Mbarara City, a team we had beaten just two weeks earlier, and who
finished third behind us in Big League. The chances of promotion, and the
fulfillment of the dream to play in Uganda’s top division, was now within
touching distance.
Take a moment to reflect on the fact that
Synergy remains a team of integrity and fair play in what is a very corrupt
system, where bribing of referees and the football authorities is rife. When
you take this into account, it is an amazing testament to what God has done
through the work of Synergy, as well as the hard work of the staff and players,
to have found ourselves just one win away from the elite level, only five and a half years
after our genesis and entry at the very bottom of the league pyramid in the fifth division.
I wish I could give you a fairytale ending
to this story, to say that we battled and won the playoff final, beating all
the odds and silencing all the naysayers who said a team like Synergy could
never make it. But real life is not a fairytale. There are not always the happy
endings that we so long for.
From the moment the match began, we could
tell it was going to be a difficult day. Nothing was going our way. The referee
it seemed, had an agenda, and this agenda did not involve officiating
professionally and impartially. Time after time our calls for free kicks were
waved away, whilst the merest touch against our opposition would see the
whistle blown. Our penalty appeals were turned down, nothing was given.
Somehow, despite this we managed to enter the final minutes with the scores
level at 1-1.
Picture this with me. As we enter the 90th minute, 5 minutes of
stoppage time are displayed. Then a ball played into the Synergy box is cleared out by our keeper, Zake. As our back line moves up, a lone opposition
striker is left in a clearly offside position. The ball comes back into him. Up
go the hands accompanied by the shout, “Offside ref.” But no flag, no whistle,
just dismay as the ball is slotted into the net.
“Come on lads, there’s still time!!”
But
no, the ref has blown his whistle for full time.
“What about the 5 minutes
stoppage time ref?” But he is not in a mood to discuss anything.
As the Mbarara
players celebrate, Synergy players are left speechless. There is discontent in
the stands. Spectators are incensed at what they have seen. The Senior national
coach of Uganda, watching from the sidelines, sheds tears at what he has
witnessed this day.
This is football in
Uganda. This is what we have battled against for 6 years.
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| The referee waves our players away |
All battles have casualties and this battle
may well bear a great cost. As many of you know, it has been a struggle to
finance the work of Synergy this season. With costs rising in Uganda, and with
the wider work of River of Life Church continuing to be under serious financial
strain, it is only due to the kindness and generosity of many of you, that
Synergy F.C. have even made it to the end of the season. Promotion to Uganda Premier
League would not only have gained us a platform on the national stage, but also
financial stability as sponsorship deals to help finance the elite level clubs
kick in. But instead we face an uncertain future, with the very real
possibility that the senior club will now fold. Quite simply we don’t currently
have the money to play Big League football next season.
As you read this, you may sense anger and
sadness in my words, which is indeed the case. But that is not the end of the
matter. In the weeks since that final, I have felt hope rising in my spirit.
Why? Because when we launched Synergy five and a half years ago our primary aim
was not to become a Premier League team, but to be a club that does things
differently. Our vision was to launch a club with Christian Faith at its
core, a club where investment in our players' wider lives would impact them
beyond the pitch, and where we could be a shining light of integrity in the
midst of the darkness of corruption.
In these things, we have achieved beyond our
expectations. Our players are not commodities to be utilised and cashed in,
they are individuals in whom we have invested untold time and mentoring, as
well as training and education. The result of this is a group of young men who
have attitudes, outlooks and opportunities they would never have had if they
had been at other clubs.
Solomon, our team captain, has changed
beyond recognition. Despite early struggles with drink, women and lack of focus,
he has become a leader whom our younger players look up to. He has lived and
shared his life with many of our players, eating, talking, praying and reading
God’s word with them. He has gone from being a young man who was lost in many
ways, to a man who has found purpose and identity. He has led by example, being
voted Big League’s Most Valuable Player this season, and has recently been one of four Synergy players to break into the Senior National Squad, the Uganda Cranes.
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| Solomon with the MVP trophy for Big League 2016/17 |
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| Solomon and Nico (pictured) are just 2 of 4 Synergy players called up for the Uganda Cranes senior squad |
The platform we have built has given us the
type of exposure where being a team of integrity can make a real difference.
Everywhere we go we are known as the team that doesn’t bribe, and can’t be
bribed. At the end of season AGM, where all Big League teams gathered,
representatives of every team stood up to commend Manager Brian and Synergy,
for the way we play football and the way we run the club. Corruption, despite
being rife, is now being challenged, both on the street and in the media. The
referee who officiated our playoff final, a few days later went to officiate
the equivalent of Uganda’s FA Cup final, involving 2 premiership teams. He was
chased away by fans and players because of the way he officiated during our
playoff final. They have had enough, and there is a fresh call to see the game
cleaned up in Uganda.
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| Manager Brian, being interviewed by the media |
This is not the end for Synergy, perhaps
just the beginning of a new chapter. Even if the senior team folds, we will
continue to use what little resources we have to build again from our academy.
And even if we are unable to, we have not failed in our mission. Wherever our
players go, they take with them valuable lessons and changed attitudes. God has
used us as a catalyst to raise aspirations, to raise hope, to raise faith and
to bring integrity to the game. I am proud of what we have achieved, and so
grateful to all of you who have helped make it possible. Thank you!
Finally, before I sign off, I would like to give the briefest of plugs. As I have expressed I am so grateful for the generosity so many of you have shown to Synergy, and as I have asked so much of you recently please do not feel any obligation to give to what I am about to promote. As I write, out in Uganda, 20 of our players are doing an ultra marathon, running over 100km in 3 days from Masaka to Mbarara. Their aim is to raise money for school fees and requirements for around 65 Synergy players ranging from primary up to university level. If you feel you would like to give towards their efforts, you can go to the following web address to find out more and donate.
Once again, please feel no obligation.
