By Brian Bariyo Tumuramye
Egypt: Ittihad Alexandria beat a wide range of clubs to the signature of the former Sports Club Villa talisman.
The Uganda Cranes striker Emmanuel Okwi after a wonderful permonce in the 2019 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) has joined Al Ittihad Alexandria Club of Egypt on a two year contract.
The move was brokered by FIFA agent Geoffrey Kayemba, who was also the main link chain in the transfer of Khalid Aucho
The 26-year-old has impressed for the Uganda national team for a number of years now, making him one of the most sought after strikers in Africa.
Okwi became a notable figure in Egypt when he scored against the Pharaohs in
a 2018 World Cup qualifier which Uganda won 1-0.
Since then, Okwi has kept up his international form, scoring twice in the most
recent Africa Cup of Nations against DR Congo and Zimbabwe.
According to Ittihad officials, they sid the team is looking to improve on last season’s performance where they finished 11th, and signing a striker of Okwi’s quality should go a long way into achieving that.
They hope Signing Okwi is a hope to make a difference in the next Egyptian Premier League season which begins in September.
Okwi had been sought by clubs in Saudia Arabia, Morocco, Tunisia, and his immediate past club Simba as well as Premier Soccer League (PSL) club Kaizer Chiefs.
He has previously played at SC Villa, Simba, Etoile du Sahel, Young Africans and Sonderjyske in Denmark.
After Aucho joined Misr Mikassa, he was followed by Abdu Lumala at Pyramids.
Pyramids, for starters, is also home to former Uganda Cranes head coach Sebastien Desabre.
