Emmanuel Okwi is easily one of, if not the most loved foreign player to ever grace the Tanzanian Premier League.
Emmanuel Okwi is easily one of, if not the most loved foreign player to ever grace the Tanzanian Premier League.
The Cranes captain built a cult hero status at Simba SC, where he had three stints with the Tanzanian giants.
However, ahead of the crucial 2023 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifier between the Taifa Stars and the Uganda Cranes on Tuesday evening at the Benjamin Mkapa stadium, Okwi admitted Tanzania is the only country he has played in, and he has so many friends.
“Football is one of the best games in the world, and it’s a game that connects a lot of people,” he told a packed press conference on Monday.
“Since I started playing football, I have met many people and played in many countries, but I have to say this is the country (Tanzania) where I have made the most friends.”
Okwi however, cautioned that all the friendship would be put aside to ensure the Cranes win against the Taifa Stars.
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21:45 - 27.03.2023
AFCON 2023 Micho want Cranes response after 'journey to hell'
Micho, who will be taking charge of his 27th game under his second stint in charge of the Uganda Cranes, stressed the aftermath of that defeat to the Taifa Stars seemed ‘like a journey to hell’.
“Most of the players in the Taifa Stars team are my friends because I have played either against or with them in the same team but on Tuesday, during the 90 minutes were ready to fight, give our best and crash them.”
Okwi first joined Simba SC in 2009 and spent four seasons before he left for Tunisian side Etoile du Sahel, but his stint was short-lived.
He then returned to SC Villa before he controversially joined Simba’s arch-rivals Young Africans for a season (2013-2014), but he again returned to Simba for another season after that.
Okwi’s final Simba stint was from 2017 to 2019.
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