By Staff Reporter,
Meddie Kagere has made headlines in Kenya with his impeccable form that has seen him net some crucial and lovely goals for his team Gor Mahia making both friends and foe to admire him in the same breath.
However Kagere is a troubled footballer as his fellow players at Gor Mahia are going for International duty for their country he cannot do the same despite his top form and high level talent that any coach anywhere in Africa would wish for.
Kagere last played for Rwanda Amavubi against Congo Brazzaville during the second round of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifie in 2014 he netted in the 2-0 home win, which took the game into penalty shootouts at Kigali Regional Stadium, however, Rwanda was disqualified for fielding an ineligible player (Dady Birori) in the first leg and that was the begining of problems for Meddie Kagere and other naturalised players.
After Rwanda were disqualified by CAF for fielding the Dady Birori who had also featured for DRC the Rwanda government cracked the whip and De-registrered all naturalised players in the team asking them to apply afresh for citizenship in turn turning them into refugees.
Uganda-born Kagere, who has 26 caps for Rwanda and nine international goals, and has also previously played for SC Kiyovu, Police, Rayon Sports, Mukura, the defunct Atraco, Uganda’s Mbale Heroes and Masaka LC as well as Tunisian side Esperance Sportive de Zarzis found himself deeply entrenched in the issue making him unable to represent the national team a heartache he habours until today because as a footballer the biggest wish is to represent your country but in case his fate was sealed and only club duty beckoned at Gor Mahia.
Its sad how such great talent misses the special occasion of playing for his national team and Rwanda Amavubi Stars head coach Johnny McKinstry while so much impressed with the form of striker Meddie Kagere who has scored nine goals for Gor Mahia in the Kenyan Premier League insists he will not call him for Amavubi duty.
“We are not thinking about Meddie Kagere because we are not allowed to call him, he is inellegible for us because of what happened last year, and it affected many players, he is good player,” McKinstry said after Sunday’s 2-0 win against Tanzania in the Genocide commemoration tournament.
He added, “To have him is like having Wayne Rooney in team but we will not use him until the problems (with citizenship) are resolved, if that changes in future I will consider him because he is good player and we want good ones.”
“The dream of every footballer is to represent his country and personally after the debacle last year i have not been able to play International football.Its painful and not what i would have wished as i see many of my friends going to represent their countries.I am having a great time at Gor Mahia but i wish the same form would be translated to the national team i would be very happy”Meddie Kagere told Soka25east.com
The statement by the coach summed up his frustrations as he could not call him up despite the heavy admiration of a player he equated to Wayne Rooney.On Kagere the decision by the Rwanda government weighed heavily on his career bringing a big dream to a scratching halt not knowing what he should do next but to wait and see while his colleagues and friends go to their various national teams.
Meddie Kagere has scored richly deserved goals for Gor Mahia sweetly taken to a point he was nicknamed Lwanda Magere after the powerful Luo warrior with inspiring perfomances that have catapulted him to immediate stardom in his one year stint at Kogalo.
Maybe the Gor Mahia fans make him forget the loneliness and the emptiness in his heart after being given a wide berth by a country he scored so many crucial and sexy goals.Gor Mahia has become tempered with poise and elegance and at the heart of the transformation is Meddie “Lwanda Magere” Kagere needless to say fans love him as he is the striking hub through which tempo ,class, and majority of the teams attacking endevour is channeled through.
Its a stastistic loaded with so much implication yet most important for Gor Mahia fans is that the club has finally found the man that can ignite their hopes of winning the league unbeaten and back to back for the third time in a row.
Meddie Kagere, scored his ninth goal of the season during their KPL match against Tusker on Saturday, which ensured the league leaders maintained their first round unbeaten record a powerful statement to the man that remains stateless but full of talent and charisma on the pitch.
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