The Standard Chartered Cup 'Road to Anfield' tournament winners Steel and Tube Industries enjoyed the experience of their lives when they watched the English Premier League clash between Liverpool and Manchester City on Sunday night.

Steel and Tube won the annual Standard Chartered Cup’s ‘Road to Anfield’ 2023 five-a-side futsal tournament that offers football fans the once-in-a-lifetime-money-can’t-buy opportunity to travel to the UK to tour as well as watch a Premier League match.

The team of eight that was led by Standard Chartered Bank’s Chief Operations Officer, John Mwesigye toured Anfield before they watched the 1-1 draw between the two sides, memories they will forever cherish.

The team included Eria Balidawa, John Ekwaru, Ben Mukiibi, Samuel Kasozi, Arthur Bamuwamye, William Mutyaba, Kenneth Matuba, and Brian Odede.

“I thank the bank for offering me a life experience to Liverpool. It has been massive ever since we set off. From the Emirates flight to Dubai where we did some shopping, to the Innside by Melia Liverpool Hotel where I slept, I had never dreamt of getting such an experience,” Bamuwamye said,

“I have enjoyed and been able to Liverpool versus Man City and been able to watch my idol Wataru Endo live because I’m also a footballer and I also met Liverpool legend John Aldridge which offered a wonderful experience.

Kasozi said the trip has offered him an all-round experience including visiting the UK for the first time. “I thank Standard Chartered Bank for offering us the opportunity. We toured Anfield and the feeling at the stadium during the match was exhilarating,” Kasozi stated.

Odede was also grateful for the opportunity to visit Anfield and thanked the sponsors

“It has been great and a trip of a lifetime because it was my first time to board a plane and that also provided good experience in the sky. Dubai Airport was amazing. The flight to the UK on an Airbus was amazing and we got to interact with different people,” Odede said.

“We landed in Manchester and connected to Liverpool by bus and were able to see the countryside, the road network, the farms, experienced the weather, the food at Gaucho and Stanley’s Bar and Grill was all amazing and wonderful,” Odede stated.

He said it was wonderful to watch the players that they have been watching on TV live, meeting some of the Liverpool legends in what has been a life-changing experience, and that he will never remain the same.

Mukiibi said the trip provided a lifetime opportunity and thanked Standard Chartered Bank for offering them a chance to compete in the Standard Chartered Cup’s ‘Road to Anfield’ tournament from which they got the opportunity after winning.

“We had a wonderful trip, we enjoyed ourselves a lot and had fun though we were a bit shocked by the unfamiliar weather. But we watched the match and I was able to watch many Liverpool legends like Michael Owen and Steven McManaman in an electrified atmosphere at Anfield,” Mukiibi stated.

Matuba said they had anxiously waited for this trip and when it happened he was able to experience his first flight and interacted with the cabin crew whom he had just been seeing in pictures.

“I was amazed by different things in Dubai and I didn’t sleep on any of the flights. There was thorough checking in Manchester but the cold was too much at the airport. We slept in a good hotel and the food was fabulous,” Matuba stated.

“We toured Anfield’s different stands and took pictures and watched the players like Erling Haaland, and Mohamed Salah though I missed watching Allison Baker as he was injured; it was a great experience and I thank the bank for offering us a money-can’t-buy opportunity and I would wish others experience the same,”

For Mutyaba it was a dream come true because as a former brickmaker, he had never dreamt of boarding a plane.

“It was amazing on the plane I was served different items though I didn’t know the names of some eats. I didn’t know beer was served during the flight but it was served to me and by the time we reached Dubai I had had enough,” Mutyaba stated.

“I thought the Entebbe Airport security checks were burdensome but it was even tighter in Dubai where I saw a bottle of champagne worth sh30m. We were amazed by many things there.

“It was like we were heading to heaven on the Airbus from Dubai to Manchester but I was shocked by the cold on arrival which made me freeze and I had to immediately change into warm clothing.

“I thank the bank for this wonderful experience and I would wish many people to experience the same,”