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Wednesday, 11 January 2017 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Nisthar Cassim
The English Premier League is perhaps the most closely followed soccer competition after the World Cup. It is said that EPL is undoubtedly the most-watched sports league in the world, broadcast in 212 territories to 643 million homes and a potential TV audience of 4.7 billion people. This gives EPL and all those involved celebrity status.
Contested by 20 clubs, it is also a high-stakes competition. An outstanding club has been Liverpool FC and its success over the years has mesmerised many football fans across the globe. This legacy has also made Liverpool FC’s home ground Anfield iconic. Liverpool is currently ranked number two in the on-going season and its heroics are not confined to UK but it has excelled outside as well. Liverpool has won five European Cups, three UEFA Cups, three UEFA Super Cups, 18 league titles, seven FA Cups, a record eight League Cups, and 15 FA Community Shields.
Founded in 1892, Liverpool is the world’s eighth most valuable football club in 2016 valued at $ 1.55 billion. A multitude of accolades and roaring success certainly make Liverpool special and for budding footballers and enthusiasts a visit to Anfield is a dream come true.
The Standard Chartered Bank, a main sponsor of Liverpool FC, indeed made this dream come true recently for football players in corporate Sri Lanka.
WNS Global Services Sri Lanka, part of the global provider of business process management and outsourcing solutions, won the Standard Chartered Cup 2016 competition and secured what could be a lifetime opportunity to travel to Anfield.
WNS emerged victorious in a contest vied by 24 teams from some leading organisations as well as Standard Chartered’s own staff participated. Corporate teams participating included MAS Intimates, KPMG, MAS Active, MAS Linea Aqua, WNS, Aitken Spence Plc, Hemas Holdings Plc, John Keells Holdings Plc, Emirates Airlines, Hela Clothing, Shangri-La, Dialog Axiata Plc, Accenture, and Courtaulds Trading Company.
The winning team from WNS comprised Ashraf Hussain, Athickur Rahuman, Mohammed Khalid, Hyder Ali Tharanga Leenus Karunanayake, Mohamed Marzook and Mohamed Ansar. It is ironic that this WNS team had to beat another WNS team (B) at the finals.
For the team captain Ashraff Hussain, the trip to Anfield was extra special because WNS had contested in the Standard Chartered tournament for two years. Last year they emerged runner up and missed the opportunity. In that context the 2016 victory was momentous.
“I and my entire team were extremely happy to have travelled to Anfiled,” said Ashraff who is the Deputy Manager Training and Development at WNS. Secondly, for Ashraff and many of his team mates, a visit to Anfield is a major dream come true since they are supporters of LFC since the time they dabbled with a football in their early teens. For the entire team from WNS it was also the first visit to the UK.
As part of Standard Chartered arrangements, the WNS team benefitted from a short training session at the LFA Academy with LFC coaches and legend Alan Kennedy who scored 359 goals for LFC. During this session they also used the same changing rooms and facilities enjoyed by Liverpool players. A key highlight of the WNS team’s tour to Liverpool was attendance at the Liverpool FC versus West Ham EPL match played at Anfield in the comfort of the Standard Chartered Bank Executive Hospitality Box.
Ashraff said the achievement of the WNS team was significant because none of the players are professionals, yet have a passion for football. He credited team work and a step-by-step approach for the success in the Standard Chartered Bank tournament. “We treated the visit to Liverpool and Anfield as an honour for the entire 900-employee strong WNS Sri Lanka and Sri Lank football enthusiasts because not many get this golden opportunity,” he added. WNS operates in 10 countries with a staff of 30,000 and Team Sri Lanka was the first to take the “Road to Anfield”. This too is historic according to Ashraff as it enabled to showcase Sri Lanka’s sporting talent to the rest of the world and not just its prowess in accounting and finance. Commenting on the short training stint at LFA Academy, he said LFC Legend Alan Kennedy during the training emphasised on “playing basic football and not fancy football.” His advice and teaching was to play simple yet effective football.
“The message was to go back to the basics. Play the game as a team because football is driven by all in the team and not dependent on one person. The team’s energy derives from moral and physical support to one another,” Ashraff quoted Kennedy as saying. Success comes from strengths of different skills from individuals who play as a team.“The visit was fantastic and all arrangements were perfect. The experience gained during training at LFA Academy and the experience and thrill of the EPL match at Anfield was electrifying,” Ashraff added. Standard Chartered and Liverpool FC have used their partnership to support a number of the bank’s award-winning sustainability and community investment programs, which has enabled the bank to connect with clients and staff around the world.
Standard Chartered Sri Lanka CEO Jim McCabe was glad to have so many of the bank’s clients nominate teams to participate in the annual local event with aspirations to travel to Liverpool and savour the Anfiled experience. “Standard Chartered has had the privilege of partnering long standing relationships in Sri Lanka with many of the nation’s oldest businesses, and with events such as these we attempt to share a flavour of our global footprint and key sponsorships,” he added.
Given the Liverpool Football Club’s motto “You’ll never walk alone”, for the WNS Team which travelled to Liverpool, the Anfield experience will certainly walk along with them the rest of their lives.
