Africa-Press – Uganda. Crested Cranes striker Fazila Ikwaput, yesterday, bid farewell to Fufa Women Super League (FWSL) side Lady Doves pending a confirmation to Cyprus side Omonia Nicosia.
In a press release sent out on her Twitter account, Ikwaput thanked “the club director, staff, coaches, teammates and fans for the good times we have shared and enjoyed together.”
The hard-running forward played 34 games and scored 36 goals for the Doves, winning the 2021 FWSL title and leading them to the semi-finals of the inaugural Cecafa region Caf Women’s Champions League qualifiers, in her three seasons at the club.
Before that she had led them to the 2018/19 then topflight Fufa Women Elite League (FWEL) finals and Fufa Women Cup finals finishing as runners-up.
However, last season she showed elements of being mortal as Doves’ title defence felt apart in the first half of the season. They finished 7th but she rose to the top of the scoring charts in the second half of the season.
That form after a lengthy injury got her back straight into the national team Crested Cranes, for which, she was top scorer and tournament most valuable player as they won their maiden Cecafa Women Championship at Fufa Technical Centre, Njeru in June.
But she struggled to replicate the same form at the Women Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco last month.
Matter of time
Fortunately, for her, Omonia had seen enough to put her through low-key trials this month – after all this is a striker that has experience playing in India and Kazakhstan, where she even scored against Barcelona for BIIK Kazygurt (currently Fauzia Najjemba’s club) in the Champions League a couple of years ago.
“She had been in Cyprus for a while but before we are sure of a deal, it is hard for us to come out and confirm things because anything can happen.
If we hype her and, God forbid, it is not successful, that can be damaging to a player,” Godfrey Nsingirwe, Doves communication officer, who on Monday put out a statement to confirm Ikwaput’s departure explained the delay.
The Nicosia-based club seem convinced that the striker who celebrates her 27th birthday on September 15 – three days before the start of the 2022/23 Cypriot season – is the woman to lead them past the dominance of Apollon Limassol, who have won 12 of the last 13 leagues.
Apollon will ring a bell in the ears of most Uganda women football fans as it is the club that signed Juliet Nalukenge last year before they loaned her out to Chrysomilia.
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