Simba refute Joseph Owino`s Al-Hilal link

Joseph Owino’s transfer link to Sudanese top flight side Al-Hilal has been strongly refuted by Simba Sports Club’s spokesman Clifford Ndimbo yesterday.

Widespread rumours have been predominant across street corners of Dar es Salaam that Owino is on his way to join the Sudanese Club.

Ndimbo said Owino and two other Ugandan players who features for the Mainland champions, Emmanuel Okwi and Patrick Ochan, have been granted special permission by the club to join their families at home after the end of the

2010 Challenge Cup.

The trio has been in Dar es Salaam with their national team in a failed bid to notch a Challenge Cup hat-trick at the semifinal stage.

Ndimbo said the players are expected to join the rest of their team-mates this weekend ahead of travelling to Zanzibar for the Mapinduzi Cup championship early next month.

The Simba spokesman insisted that there is no any transfer move for any of the said trio.

Al-Hilal’s Serbian coach Sredojevich Millutinovich, or popularly known as ‘Micho’, was seen in Dar es Salaam during the Challenge Cup tourney and the speculation of Owino’s transfer has been spreading with increasing velocity reminiscent of wild fires.

‘Micho’, who used to coach Simba’s rivals Young Africans three years ago, is rumoured to be in strong need for the Simba stopper who has been the pillar of the Mainland champions’ defence.

Simba have regrouped in Dar es Salaam while gearing up for both Mapinduzi Cup and Mainland premiership soccer season’s second half that kicks off in mid January.

Simba’s Zambian coach Patrick Phiri was quoted as bemoaning the late arrival of the Ugandan trio which he said is disrupting his tailor-made training programme.

Ndimbo said all the news circulating in the domestic media in connection with Owino’s alleged transfers are false and the club is not aware of the move.

News connecting Owino with the Al-Hilal move has become talk of the day for Dar es Salaam soccer fans as some have purported him to 150m/- transfer price.

Both Simba and Yanga clubs have some of their players linked with mid-season transfers which is closed for the domestic league.