Ugandan international Emmanuel Okwi is set to join South African giants Orlando Pirates from Tanzania's Simba SC in a transfer that is set to break a record in Tanzania. According to Kickoff Magazine, the South African side will pay $ 812,000 to Simba SC for the services of the Ugandan forward.
The former SC Villa striker had trials with Kaizer chiefs at the start of last season but somehow the deal didn't go through and the striker went for other trials in Turkey but still nothing materialised. Okwi has been a regular with Simba SC helping the side to league championship and also struck important goals for the side in Orange CAF club competitions. He has of late become a regular with Uganda national team The Cranes netting twice in the team's last three games.
The forward was on target as Uganda held Angola to a 1-1 draw in a 2014 World Cup qualifier and netted Uganda's fourth as the Cranes walloped Congo Brazzaville 4-0 in an AFCON 2013 qualifier. Simba SC Head of Communication Ezekiel Kamwaga confirmed the reports and said.
"The deal is already done but there are only a few things that the two clubs have to settle before giving Okwi the green light". Okwi's star has risen in the past couple of years and was Cecafa Senior challenge top scorer with five goals in 2010 and also netted the same number of goals in 2011 as Uganda won the 12th title. Kamwaga went ahead to show how the club will miss the striker but was happy with the lucrative deal.
"We have lost one of the best players who helped Simba win the title last season. It will be difficult to plug the hole left by him though we are happy for it a was a lucrative deal", Ezekiel added. Simba SC paid $ 40,000 to SC Villa for Okwi in 2010 thus the side has made lots of profits on the deal.
If the deal goes through, it will be the biggest transfer in the history of Tanzanian football. He joins a list of Ugandans plying their trade in SPL that include Denis Onyango, Timothy Batabaire, Geoffrey Sserunkuma and Posnet Omwony among others. What is your comment on the move?
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