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Duncan Lewis joins Refugees, Lawyers and Waging Peace in the Play 2 Remember Football Tournament 2017 (7 April 2017)

Date: 07/04/2017
Duncan Lewis, Public Law Solicitors, Duncan Lewis joins Refugees, Lawyers and Waging Peace in the Play 2 Remember Football Tournament 2017

The first day of April was a beguilingly calm and beautiful spring day, with a warming sun and a fresh breeze, as we assembled on the fields of White City Tiger Turf, a tangled mass of sinewy limbs, chiselled jaw-lines, bulging calf muscles, and heavy brows; the crème de la crème of Duncan Lewis sporting talent.

We were there to take part again in the Play2Remember tournament, an annual 5-a-side football tournament promoting reconciliation and togetherness through sport. Established in 2014 by Football for Hope, Peace and Unity (FHPU) in collaboration with several community outreach groups, London Play2Remember provides a chance for survivors of genocide and mass atrocities, as well as their supporters, to get together in a spirit of commemoration and hope. The tournament takes place on the first weekend of April to coincide with the international day of remembrance for the 1994 genocide in Rwanda on 7 April and the United Nations International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP) on 6 April.

Who were ‘the Duncans’ this year?

Duncan Lewis A Team: Toufique Hossain (Capt.), Lewis Kett, Jamie Bell, Younes Ech-Chadli, Mbeko Sihwa, Raja Uruthiravinayagan, Tamara Smillie, Paddy Page

Duncan Lewis B Team: Rachael Lenney (Capt.), Joshua Chua, Ahmed Khan, Lewis Smith, Rohena Wallace, Mabast Jaf, Alex Schymyck

The B Team had claimed ‘only to be there for the free oranges’ and their impeccable modesty was well-placed. Under the capable captaincy of Rachael Lenney (playing her first game of football on this very same spring day), the team lost their first game to Lost Voices by some goals (forget exact numbers, they are bourgeois), but showed real vim. Rachael, famously self-described as ‘ridiculously good at sport’ turned out to have some justification for this absurd boast. Dressed up, in pig-tails, as a Swiss peasant on holiday in Ibiza, she used her hockey skills to great offensive effect, while, up front, Ahmed Khan and Mabast Jaf (returning from exile) masterminded the attack. Those two knew how to play football which really helped. Begoggled Joshua Chua, our very own Edgar Davids, provided skill and moral support throughout while Tamara Smillie, who relegated herself from Team A to Team B, demonstrated skill that was nearly as impressive as her boundless whites-of-her-eyes enthusiasm, like a spaniel on speed. Rohena Wallace, a B Team stalwart, was injured early on but bravely returned to the field, Lazarus-style, to run around quite a lot. Arguably her major role was befitting of her new appointment as a Director….yelling at everybody. Meanwhile, in defence, Lewis Smith performed the Colin Hendry role, acting in a calm and composed way whilst all those around him ran around like maniacs. Alex Schymyck, a late signing, stuck it out in goal, so charming his opponents with his baffled smile and effortless eloquence that they just couldn’t bring themselves to score against him (well….sometimes).

Their next game, against Garden Court FC, started extremely well and their third game, against Team Somaliland, a team made up of Ahmed Aydeed from Duncan Lewis and his bandy band of brothers, (‘Team Somaliland’) was a close 4-5. Team Somaliland eventually won the tournament, so Team B walked away with their heads held high having held up against the best of the best. Team B also played some other matches.

As for Team A, they had promised to play football as they fight injustice: with dogged radicalism, unstoppable passion and a certain élan. They did not disappoint. Under the captaincy of the indomitable Toufique Hossain, the team nimbly smashed through their first game against Squad Goals.

Younes Ech-Chadli’s ball-control and panache was more than the opposition could deal with, while Toufique and Jamie Bell displayed the fruits of their weekly practice, intercepting many a loose pass, charging forwards thunderously (and surprisingly fast) until they scored. There was no doubting their commitment to the game. Lewis Kett, our Middlesborough native, with his improbably strong legs (many a Parmo?) was the team linchpin, moving up and down the pitch like a crazed yoyo, a no-nonsense player with genuine pace. Mbeko Sihwa held court in goal, quietly and impressively stopping everything that came his way, quite a busy business, while Patrick Page, Tamara Smillie and Raja Uruthiravinayagan were subbed on and off the field, providing repose for the football players by pretending to be football players on the pitch while the football players rested off the pitch. To clarify: they were and are not football players.

After the game against Squad Goals, Team A achieved an honourable draw against the semi-professional New London Lionesses.

After this hard fought draw, Team A’s aging limbs needed rest, but they were then pitted immediately against Wilsons. Aching, spluttering, heaving, groaning they hauled themselves onto the pitch to face the freshly-rested Wilsons team. This self-regarding team sported (as ever) cute matching tops, marked loudly with the name of their firm. Being real radicals, and having no need to self-advertise, Duncan Lewis had spurned corporate branding and, with an eye to the environment, re-used the clothes they already own. In the event, like a kind, bigger, better, older brother, Duncan Lewis lost gracefully, happy to imagine the Wilsons team going home buoyed-up and jolly.

But it also makes us sad to imagine Wilsons’ pain, as they dwell on the fact that the winner of the tournament was Duncan Lewis’ very own Ahmed Aydeed with his BFGs, so that the much-cherished Gold Cup ultimately rests in Duncan Lewis hands.

In all seriousness, we all know how football can unite people, and it was a real honour to know that we were participating in an event taking place all over the world, from Sudan to Pakistan, from Rwanda to the UK. As immigration lawyers, we are all too familiar with the suffering and trauma endured by many as a result of violence and genocide. We are proud to take part in an initiative designed to both remember pain and provide hope. The embarrassingly sharp pain of mauled muscles and tender tendons suffered by many of us this week does not dim our gratitude to Waging Peace, all the organisers and of course all the other teams who participated in this excellent event, even Wilsons.

Patrick Page

Patrick joined Duncan Lewis as a caseworker in the Public Law department at Duncan Lewis' Harrow office. He specialises in immigration and asylum law and has been accredited as Level 1 Probationer Immigration caseworker.


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