Okwi eager to correct wrongs
Okwi hustles for the ball with Brian Otinga (R) in Soroti last weekend. photo by EDDIE CHICCO
What you need to know:
The Yanga striker was dreadful, to say the least, in the 1-0 win over the Barea. It’s a game he wants to forget fast; with two friendlies today and Tuesday respectively, and qualifier against Mauritania providing the opportunity.
Kampala- The fateful date was May 31, 2014. He walked off almost in trepidation, almost wishing the ground between the green turf and Cranes bench at Namboole would ingest him.
For 70 minutes Emmanuel Okwi had succeeded in playing hide-and-seek in Uganda’s 1-0 win over Madagascar.But Cranes coach Micho Sredojevic saved the Yanga striker further torment when he replaced him with Hamis Kiiza.
The Cranes held on to progress but for Okwi, it was relief the day had ended. “It was the worst game I have ever played,” he tells us.
“Of course whatever I will say happened before the game will look like excuses but for me I will just say I had a bad game and day, and maybe I wasn’t ready for the game, mentally.”
Apparently, Okwi had gone into that game nursing a groin injury, a surprise in itself that Micho started him.
“I don’t want to use that as an excuse because people have different perceptions about some things. I just feel I had a bad day which I feel I have to correct in the next game and the qualifier against Mauritania. That next game is a friendly against Seychelles this afternoon at Lugogo. He will hope for better fortunes.
INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLIES
TODAY
Uganda vs. Seychelles, 4pm, KCC Stadium
JULY 15
Uganda vs. Malawi, Namboole Stadium
2015 AFCON QUALIFIERS, JULY 19
Uganda vs. Mauritania, Namboole Stadium
