Ugandan striker Emmanuel Okwi and defender Godfrey Walusimbi may not turn out for Cranes at next year’s Africa Nations Championship (Chan) after all.
The two are some of the hitherto foreign-based players who returned home after either disagreements with their clubs or expired contracts.
The duo have henceforth been included Cranes coach Micho Sredojevic’s squad preparing for Cecafa, which kicks off later this month in Nairobi.
But according to rules of engagement for the Chan, Okwi is ineligible to play due to his standing contract with Tunisian side Etoile Du Sahel.
Fifa rules suggest that the player’s six-month stay with SC Villa is considered as a loan, meaning he is still a property of the Tunisian club.
Okwi has not returned to his Du Sahel the Cranes’ World Cup qualifying game against Angola. Walusimbi is also set to miss the tournament due to lack of an international transfer certificate (ITC) from his former Congolese club FC Don Bosco.
But Fufa CEO Edgar Watson remains optimistic Okwi will feature in South Africa. “As far as we know he is eligible to play because Fifa authorized his loan move to play domestically but now that you have brought it up, we are going to write to them (Fifa) and confirm,” he said.
Source: Supersport
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