Emmanuel Okwi
Emmanuel Arnold Okwi (born 25 December 1992) is a Ugandan professional footballer who plays as a left winger for Egyptian club Al Ittihad Alexandria Club and the Uganda national team.
![]() Emmanuel Okwi | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Emmanuel Arnold Okwi[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 25 December 1992[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Kampala, Uganda | ||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Left winger[3] | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Al Itihadd | ||
| Number | 27 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2009–2010 | SC Villa | 40 | (13) |
| 2010–2013 | Simba | 38 | (18) |
| 2013 | Étoile du Sahel | 1 | (0) |
| 2013 | SC Villa | ||
| 2013–2014 | Young Africans | 18 | (9) |
| 2014–2015 | Simba | 20 | (16) |
| 2015–2017 | SønderjyskE | 4 | (0) |
| 2017 | SC Villa | 13 | (10) |
| 2017–2019 | Simba | 53 | (36) |
| 2019– | Al Ittihad | 14 | (2) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2011– | Uganda | 80 | (26) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 14:01, 22 July 2020 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 23:30, 16 November 2020 (UTC) | |||
Club career
Okwi played for Uganda Super League club SC Villa before joining Tanzanian team Simba S.C. for US$40,000.[4]
In January 2013, Tunisian team Étoile Sportive du Sahel signed Okwi for a Tanzania record transfer fee of US$300,000.[5] The team, however, failed to pay the fee to Simba S.C. He was then cleared by FIFA's Player Status Committee in December 2013 to return to SC Villa[6] although the clearance was changed two months later so he could play for Young Africans S.C.,[7] despite Simba S.C.'s protests.[8]
Okwi rejoined Simba S.C. in August 2014 under a six-month contract, explaining that Young Africans S.C. had terminated his contract[9] by failing to pay the US$50,000 owed to him.[10] Okwi refused to play the last five games of the 2013–14 season for Young Africans because of the payment controversy.[10] Young Africans vigorously protested the transfer to Simba S.C. and claimed that the contract was still in effect.[10] The Tanzania Football Federation rejected that claim in September 2014.[11]
In July 2015, SønderjyskE Fodbold signed Okwi on a five-year contract,[12] with the consent of Simba S.C.,[13] that would last until 2020.[14] In January 2017, Okwi and agreed to terminate the contract. He scored two goals in six appearances.[15]
Upon his return from Denmark Okwi re-joined former club SC Villa signing a six-month contract. He scored 10 goals in 13 Uganda Premier League matches.[16]
In June 2017, Okwi signed with Simba S.C. for the third time in his career having agreed a two-year contract.[16]
In July 2019, after impressing at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, Okwi joined Egyptian Premier League club Al Ittihad on a two-year contract.[17][18]
International career
Okwi first represented Uganda at senior level in 2009. He was the second top scorer at the 2010 CECAFA Cup, scoring a four goals in five matches.[19] The following year at the 2011 CECAFA Cup, he scored five goals and was joint top scorer alongside Rwanda's Meddie Kagere and their captain Olivier Karekezi.[20]
Personal life
Okwi grew up idolizing Thierry Henry and is a fan of Arsenal F.C.. Okwi was born into a Roman Catholic family, but at a young age, his mother became a Born Again Christian and raised her children in her faith. Okwi married his longtime girlfriend Florence Nakalegga with whom they have one child.[21] Okwi played football as a boy while at St. Henry's College Kitovu.[22]
Career statistics
International
- As of matches played on 16 November 2020[23]
| Uganda | ||
| Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 7 | 1 |
| 2010 | 6 | 4 |
| 2011 | 6 | 5 |
| 2012 | 12 | 3 |
| 2013 | 10 | 5 |
| 2014 | 5 | 0 |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | 6 | 0 |
| 2017 | 8 | 1 |
| 2018 | 7 | 2 |
| 2019 | 11 | 5 |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 80 | 26 |
International goals
- Scores and results list Uganda's goal tally first.[23]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 13 December 2009 | Nyayo National Stadium, Nairobi, Kenya | 2009 CECAFA Cup | |||
| 2. | 2 December 2010 | Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | 2010 CECAFA Cup | |||
| 3. | 5 December 2010 | |||||
| 4. | 8 December 2010 | |||||
| 5. | 12 December 2010 | |||||
| 6. | 28 November 2011 | Chamazi Stadium, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | 2011 CECAFA Cup | |||
| 7. | ||||||
| 8. | ||||||
| 9. | 8 December 2011 | Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | ||||
| 10. | 10 December 2011 | |||||
| 11. | 3 June 2012 | Estádio 11 de Novembro, Luanda, Angola | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification | |||
| 12. | 16 June 2012 | Mandela National Stadium, Kampala, Uganda | 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | |||
| 13. | 6 December 2012 | 2012 CECAFA Cup | ||||
| 14. | 15 June 2013 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification | ||||
| 15. | 31 August 2013 | Botswana National Stadium, Gaborone, Botswana | Friendly | |||
| 16. | ||||||
| 17. | 2 December 2013 | Nairobi City Stadium, Nairobi, Kenya | 2013 CECAFA Cup | |||
| 18. | ||||||
| 19. | 31 August 2017 | Mandela National Stadium, Kampala, Uganda | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification | |||
| 20. | 13 October 2018 | 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | ||||
| 21. | ||||||
| 22. | 22 June 2019 | Cairo International Stadium, Cairo, Egypt | 2019 Africa Cup of Nations | |||
| 23. | 26 June 2019 | |||||
| 24. | 8 September 2019 | Moi International Sports Centre, Nairobi, Kenya | Friendly | |||
| 25. | 13 October 2019 | Bahir Dar Stadium, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia | ||||
| 26. | 17 November 2019 | Mandela National Stadium, Kampala, Uganda | 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
References
- Emmanuel Okwi at Soccerway. Retrieved 2013-08-31.
- "Emmanuel Okwi profile". FIFA. FIFA. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
- Emmanuel Okwi at WorldFootball.net
- "Emma Okwi set to join Orlando Pirates in a record transfer". Kawoko Sports. 22 June 2012. Archived from the original on 23 June 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
- "Okwi joins Etoile du Sahel". Super Sport. 16 January 2013. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
- "Tanzania's Simba claims to 'own' Okwi", New Vision, authored by James Bakama, accessed 11 July 2015 Archived 12 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- "Okwi Delighted After Fifa Clearance", RedPepper, 14 February 2014, accessed 11 July 2015
- "Kiiza – FIFA Cleared Okwi Move To Tanzanian Club", RedPepper, authored by Stephen Muneza, 20 December 2013, accessed 11 July 2015
- "EMMANUEL OKWI’S SIMBA SC SHARES SPOILS WITH YOUNG AFRICAS IN TANZANIAN DERBY", Kawowo Sports, 19 October 2014, accessed 11 July 2015
- "Yanga pull plug on Okwi deal", In2EastAfrica, accessed 11 July 2015
- "Tanzania: Counsel - Okwi Ruling Set Precedence", Daily News, 10 September 2014, via allAfrica.com, accessed 11 July 2015
- "Emmanuel Okwi handed 5 year contract at Danish Club SønderjyskE Fodbold". Kawowo Sports. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
- "Okwi Signs Five Year Contract With Sonderjyske Of Denmark", UGO News, 10 July 2015, accessed 11 July 2015
- soenderjyske.dk http://www.soenderjyske.dk/. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - "SønderjyskE ophæver med Okwi". bold.dk (in Danish). 17 January 2017. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
- Ssenoga, Shafik (26 June 2017). "Emmanuel Okwi joins Simba". New Vision. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
- "Egypt's Ittihad of Alexandria sign Uganda striker Okwi". Ahram Online. 1 August 2019. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
- Adewoye, Gbenga (2 August 2019). "Transfer news: Al Ittihad sign Ugandan striker Emmanuel Okwi". Goal. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
- Mubiru, Abdallah (13 December 2010). "Tanzania are CECAFA champions". New Vision. Uganda. Archived from the original on 16 December 2010. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
- Mugabe, Bonnie (11 December 2011). "Third time unlucky". The New Times. Rwanda. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
- Flint, Liam (12 March 2017). "Ugandan striker, Emmanuel Okwi: "People thought I have this mohawk because I use witchcraft"". Cross The Line. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
- "Emmanuel Okwi: Uganda Cranes striker in advanced talks with United Arab Emirates club". Kawowo Sports. 9 July 2019. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
- Emmanuel Okwi at National-Football-Teams.com
External links
- Emmanuel Okwi at National-Football-Teams.com

