Cast of 39 hope to dethrone Cipla for ‘Road to Anfield’

KAMPALA.

There are few stadiums in the world as renown as Anfield, the home of English giants Liverpool.
Besides the successes of the club over the past century, it’s also synonymous with having arguably the best atmosphere.
“Sitting there and listening to those fans sing ‘You Will Never Walk Alone’ gets into your heart,” Standard Chartered Bank Brand & Marketing Manager Cynthia Mpanga says.
Last year, she led a team of Ugandans, employees of Cipla Quality Chemicals, to the banks of River Merseyside after they won the bank’s annual Standard Chartered Bank 5-a-side tournament. Those who travelled to Liverpool last May still hold the memories of visiting Anfield, the museum and the Beatles’ cradle dear. Cipla would want to go back.
But, they have to earn it as 40 teams compete in the third edition of the Standard Chartered Bank Trophy whose finale is today at Namboole Stadium.
Unlike Cipla, today’s champions will compete for a ticket with other East Africans in a regional final next Saturday in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.
Among those taking part is Monitor Publications Limited (MPL). Our manager Caeser Abangirah is hopeful of significant improvement from last year’s group stage exit for the day-long event starting at 7am.
Prior to the start, Edgars Youth Programme will conduct verification to rid the tournament of mercenaries. The rules bar all players who have held Fufa licenses to feature in the Azam Uganda Premier League, Big League, regional and district leagues over the past three years from taking part.