Okwi saga takes new twist, Yanga protest ruling

 Dar es Salaam. Emmanuel Okwi might have punched the air after the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) cleared him to play for Simba SC, but his former employers have refused to lose their prized asset easily.

On Sunday, the TFF Legal and Players Status Committee declared the Ugandan forward a free agent after a marathon meeting and Okayed his controversial switch to the Msimbazi Street giants.

Young Africans had reported Okwi to the TFF claiming that the forward was still legally tied to the club, thus demanding over Sh800 million as compensation for breaching the contract.

Showing their dissatisfaction with the TFF verdict, Yanga came out yesterday, vowing to appeal the ruling to the world soccer governing body, Fifa, a move that clouds Okwi’s Simba future. Yanga legal committee chairman Sam Mapande told reporters that the TFF erred in its decision, for the committee did not discuss their complaints.

“They did not discuss our complaints at all. Our complaints have nothing to do with Okwi’s payments, after all, he has never complained about it. “The subject of discussion was Okwi’s breach of his contract with Yanga, so we are not happy with this ruling,” Mapande said.

He added: “Yanga will therefore file a case to Fifa in seven days because we still believe that Okwi is our player.”

Mapande also questioned the presence of Simba SC registration chairman Zacharia Hans Pope in the TFF’s decision making committee.

“Yanga had asked the committee to make its decision minus Hans Pope because he was involved in the signing of Okwi, so he would always defend the interests of Simba, but he was allowed to attend the meeting.

“You can’t get a fair ruling when you have people with vested interests in the decision making panel and it is also contrary to Fifa rules,” he said.

According to him, Article 19 of the world soccer controlling body disqualifies Hans Poppe to attend the meeting. The Uganda Cranes striker has courted controversy in almost all clubs he has played for.

Okwi first joined Simba after the 2008/09 season from SC Villa in Uganda for a reported $40,000. In 2013 he joined Tunisian club Etoile Du Sahel but failed to settle claiming a contractual dispute.