The story behind Orebonye’s R9.2 million switch to Al Ittihad
Newly signed Al Ittihad striker Tumisang Orebonye has opened up on his surprise R9.2 million switch to the free-spending club.
The Botswana international teamed up with Mahmoud Kahraba, signed from 12-time CAF Champions League winners Al Ahly of Egypt.
The move came just a year after Nasreddine Nabi, now at Kaizer Chiefs, signed him at AS FAR Rabat in Morocco. He joined the Botola Pro outfit from Algeria’s USM Alger, where he won the CAF Confederation Cup and CAF Super Cup.
The Libyan giants triggered a US$500,000 [R9.2 million] release clause in the striker’s contract with the Rabat side.
Orebonye started six times for the army side this season with several substitute appearances. The former Olympique Khouribga forward scored three goals. The 28-year-old has shared the story behind his decision to leave AS FAR Rabat, who qualified for the last eight of the CAF Champions League.
WHAT IS THE STORY BEHIND OREBONYE’S SWITCH TO AL ITTIHAD TRIPOLI
In Tripoli, ‘Teenage’ reunites with his former USM Alger coach, Juan Carlos Garrido. “The coach of Ittihad is the one that was coaching me in USM Alger,” Orebonye told FARPost.
“He called me and asked if I was interested in coming to Libya. I said if the offer was good and the club’s objectives aligned with mine, I’d certainly be interested.”
Following a period of silence after the initial contact in the last week of January, the Botswana Zebras star believed the deal had fallen through. However, the club returned a few days later to finalise it swiftly.
“The club called me and said they would get back to me. After three days, the deal was seemingly off. After we played RS Berkane [30 January], they returned and said they wanted to activate the release clause. In literally two days, the deal was concluded.”
He added that with Botswana poised to make their second appearance at the AFCON in December, he was keen to go where he would receive plenty of game time. Following Nabi’s departure from AS FAR, the club has changed coaches twice, and at one point, he was overlooked.
OREBONYE EXCITED ABOUT AL ITTIHAD’S VISION
The Palapye-born striker debuted on Monday as his Tripoli-based side lost 2-0 to Olympic Azzawiya SC. He opened his scoring account when they played a 1-1 draw against Asswehly in a league match on Saturday.
“They’ve welcomed me with their open arms. This club has massive ambitions. It’s exciting to see how the club invests in the squad. The vision aligns with where I want to go as a footballer.
“I just played the first game on Monday. I trained once with the team and made my debut. The result is not reflective of how the game went. If you watch the game, you’d think we were the winning team. We created a lot of chances but couldn’t convert.”
After 10 games, they are fourth in the nine-team West Group table. Four of their games ended in wins, three in draws, and four in losses.
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