George Abege Opio (born 5 March 1993) is a Ugandan striker who currently plays for Sri Lanka's Up Country Lions SC.[1] He formerly turned out for Kenyan Premier League sides Nairobi City Stars, Bandari F.C. (Kenya) and Kariobangi Sharks, as well as Ghana Premier League side Asante Kotoko S.C.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 5 March 1993 | ||
| Place of birth | Koch-Goma, Uganda | ||
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Up Country Lions SC | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2011 | Maroons FC | ||
| 2012-13 | SC Victoria University | ||
| 2014 | Nairobi City Stars | 20 | (3) |
| 2015-2016 | Bandari F.C. (Kenya) | 35 | (6) |
| 2017-2018 | SoNy Sugar F.C. | 31 | (11) |
| 2018-2019 | FC Kariobangi Sharks | 31 | (7) |
| 2020 | Asante Kotoko S.C. | 0 | (0) |
| 2020– | Up Country Lions SC | 7 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2012 | Uganda | 1 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:31, 19 Apr 2022 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 19:31, 19 Apr 2022 (UTC) | |||
Career
editGeorge started out at Maroon's FC Luzira, Luweroo United in Uganda before joining SC Victoria University in 2013. He then came to Kenya where he spent the 2014 season[2][3] at Nairobi City Stars.
In 2015 he moved to Coastal side Bandari F.C. (Kenya)[4] till the end of the 2016 season[5][6] then head West to join SoNy Sugar F.C. for the 2017 and 2018 seasons.
He was back in Nairobi for the second half of the 2018 season after joining FC Kariobangi Sharks.[7][8][9] At the start of that year, he had been linked with a move to another Kenyan premiership side Posta Rangers F.C.[10] but for unknown reasons, he remained at SoNy.
At the end of the 2018/19 season, George moved to the Ghanaian league by joining Asante Kotoko S.C.[11][12][13] on a three-year deal. However, after a few months, he left the club[14][15][16] and was then linked with a move to Ugandan side URA FC.[17][18] In April 2021 he moved to Sri Lanka's Up Country Lions SC.[19]
Continental
editAbege first ventured into continental football with Bandari in 2016 by virtue of the club winning the domestic Cup in 2015. He made his debut as a second half susbtitue in the first leg of the preliminary round[20] against DR Congo's FC Saint-Éloi Lupopo. He featured in the return leg before the team exited the 2016 CAF Confederation Cup qualifying rounds.
Abege was back at it with FC Kariobangi Sharks in 2019 featuring in two games in the 2018–19 CAF Confederation Cup qualifying rounds against Arta/Solar7. He scored his maiden continental goal in a 6–1 win in the first leg[21] and scored once more in the 3–0 away win.[22] He played two further games in the first round against Asante Kotoko F.C. who knocked Sharks out[23] with a 2–1 aggregate win. The team signed him after the two games.
International career
editGeorge earned his maiden, and only Ugandan international cap, in a friendly against South Sudan,[24] on 10 July 2012 held at the Juba Stadium. In 2015, he openly stated his wish for more consideration at the National team fold.[25]
Honours
editVictoria University
- Ugandan Cup: 2012–13
Bandari
Kariobangi Sharks
References
edit- ^ Kawowo,15 Apr 2021 George Abege: Ugandan forward joins top club in Sri Lanka
- ^ The-Star, 2 Apr 2014 City Stars tactician impressed by performance of Ugandan striker
- ^ Allfrica, 20 Sep 2014, City Coach Unhappy With Abege Situation[permanent dead link]
- ^ Futaa, 21 Aug 2015 Abege secures point for Bandari Archived 2022-04-26 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Standard Media, 12 Jan 2017 FOOTBALL: Bandari part ways with nine players
- ^ Goal, 12 Jan 2017 KPL side Bandari release nine players
- ^ Swift Sports, June 2018 Striker Abege crosses over to Kariobangi Sharks
- ^ Futaa, 07 June 2018 Abege delighted to have joined Sharks Archived 2022-04-26 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Goal, 8 Jun 2018 DONE DEALS: Kariobangi Sharks confirm three signings
- ^ Nation Africa, 12 Jan 2018 Posta complete Osborne Monday, George Abege capture
- ^ Soka, 9 Jul 2019 Abege leaves Sharks, heads to West Africa in bold career move
- ^ MichezoAfrika, 10 Jul 2019 Sharks forward Abege signs for Kotoko
- ^ The-Star, 11 Jul 2019 Ghanaian giants raid Sharks for Ugandan forward
- ^ Kawowo, 15 Jan 2020 Why Asante Kotoko parted ways with Ugandan striker Abege on mutual consent
- ^ Ghana Soccernet, 13 Jan 2020 BREAKING NEWS: Asante Kotoko part ways with George Abege
- ^ Goal, 15 Jan 2020 Abege: Asante Kotoko terminate contract of ex-Kariobangi Sharks forward
- ^ The Sports Nation, 19 Sep 2020 George Abege: Lanky Striker Set To Join UPL Side
- ^ Football 256, 19 Sep 2020 Reports: Abege close to joining URA FC
- ^ Mozzart Sport, 16 Apr 2021 George Abege completes move to Sri Lanka
- ^ The-Star, 17 Feb 2016 Muhiddin blames 'schoolboy mistakes' for their defeat in Congo
- ^ Kawowo, 27 Nov 2018 Abege nets as Kariobangi Sharks hit Arta Solar | CAF CC
- ^ Nation Africa, 23 Dec 2018 Perfect Sharks sweep aside Djibouti's Arta Solar to advance
- ^ Kawowo, 23 Dec 2018 CAF Confederation Cup: Asante Kotoko eliminates Kenya’s Kariobangi Sharks
- ^ NFT South Sudan 2 Uganda 2
- ^ Futaa, 3 Mar 2015 Abege eyeing cranes call-up Archived 2022-04-26 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Capital Sports, 20 Oct 2018 Abege Winner Hands Sharks FKF Shield Title
External links
edit- George Abege at National-Football-Teams.com
- George Abege at Global Sports Archive