David GOMBE
Emmanuel Arnold Okwi has on Tuesday, 18th March confirmed his retirement from International Football in a statement on his socials.
The former Uganda Cranes captain thanked coach Bobby Williamson who handed him his national team duty.
“Representing my country on the international stage has been a fulfilling dream that came true. Donning the Uganda Cranes shirt always left a special feeling and captaining our team was an absolute privilege and honour.”
“An exciting new era for Ugandan football is coming up with Easter Africa hosting the CHAN later this August and subsequently the AFCON 2027 with many young footballers coming up.”
“That is why having cherished all those memories, I believe it is time for me to bow out and pave way for our talented young football players. I will always hold close to my heart the love shown to me by the fans and my special thanks go to my family, coach Bobby Williamson who handed me a debut all the successive coaches thereafter with whom we created memories together through thick and thin of course the leadership at the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA).” Read a statement from Okwi
Okwi made his senior team debut in 2009 and has 95 Uganda Cranes caps, scoring 28 goals in that period.
The forward featured at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations that was held in Egypt where he scored two goals against DR Congo and Zimbabwe.
He was named Uganda Cranes captain when veteran goalkeeper Denis Onyango retired in 2021. Okwi last appeared in the Cranes jersey during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers.
At club level Okwi currently features for Rwanda’s Kiyovu and has previously played for SC Villa, Simba SC (Tanzania), Young Africans (Tanzania), SønderjyskE(Denmark), Étoile du Sahel(Tunisia), Al Ittihad (Egypt).
