Uganda: Okwi, Simba Part Ways

Andrew Mwanguhya

18 July 2011

As English side Blackburn Rovers continue waiting for Senegalese forward El-Hadji Diouf to report for pre-season training, Tanzanian club Simba are definite striker Emmanuel Okwi will not be part of their new season.

The Uganda striker, contracted with Simba until 2014, was left out of the side’s 2011/12 campaign squad released by the club vice chairman Geofrey Nyange on Saturday. “We are in a process of selling him to another club,” Nyange told Tanzanian media. Okwi was over a week ago reported to have re-joined Kaizer Chiefs on a second trial, with sections of the media saying he was even due a medical.

Chiefs coach Vladimir Vermezovic was left bemused after the Ugandan, who impressed after spending a week with the Soweto giants at the end of last season, failed to appear for his second tests.

Some South African media claimed Okwi had instead flown to Turkey for other trials. But Okwi, who signed from Villa in 2010, actually spent just one day in South Africa after Uganda Kobs’ 5-1 win over Kenya in Nairobi before telling his agent Ivica Stankovic he was travelling back to Uganda for the funeral of his relative.

His coach at Simba Moses Basena, who returned to Dar es Salaam yesterday after a week’s holiday in Kampala, confirmed Okwi is in Kampala but that is just about all he is certain of on Okwi.

“I’ve been calling him and he doesn’t answer my calls,” said Basena (below).

“I don’t really know what’s wrong with the boy and I don’t know why he ran away from Chiefs. He’s a grown up and it’s up to him.”

AllAfrica – All the Time