Okeyo awaits Germany return for some unfinished league business

What you need to know:

  • Police player keeping fit via daily morning jogs and also follows strict diet
  • Lockdown due to Covid-19 outbreak prevents Kenya player from flying out to Stuttgart club

Kenya international midfielder Willis Okeyo can only wait and see if he will be able to complete his tour abroad.

Okeyo was scheduled to link up with his German club Verein Fur Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart this month for the second leg of the Herren Oberliga League.

In fact, Okeyo was to fly out of Nairobi on Saturday ahead of the season’s second stanza that was scheduled to bully off next weekend but that can now obviously not happen because of the lockdown in most parts of the world due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Almost the entire sporting calendar, internationally, continentally and nationally has been decimated as measures are taken by various governments to try and contain the spread of Covid-19.

Germany had by Thursday recorded 113,296 cases of the disease with 2,280 deaths while Kenya’s figures stood at 184 with seven deaths.

The first leg ended in July. Stuttgart are lying third on the league table with eight points from five matches, behind Ludwigsburg on 13 points and leaders Freiburg with 13 points.

Okeyo remains hopeful he will be back in Germany and is drawing inspiration from football side Bayern Munich who resumed training last Monday.

“The club is engaging me on a daily basis and that has given me hope. They are also in constant communication with the Germany Embassy so that once the Covid-19 is contained, I will be given first priority to jet out and join them,” said the 36-year-old international.

He was in the Kenya team that competed in the Tokyo Olympic qualifiers held in South Africa last year.

Kenya finished fifth as South Africa qualified to represent Africa at the Tokyo Games that have been rescheduled to next year.

Okeyo, who locally turns out for giants Kenya Police in the Premier League, said he has learnt a lot from the Germany club and at the same time challenged players to watch YouTube hockey videos to remain knowledgeable in the sport.

“I have become a better player. While at Stuttgart, I have embraced coaching and when in Kenya I extend my coaching skills to the USIU (United States International University-Africa) women’s side," Okeyo said.

“My input is there for everyone to see after I guided the students to finish second in the women’s Premier League last season and qualification to the African Clubs Championship.”

The talented Okeyo feels he has gained so much in his short stint in Europe.

“I receive training programmes from my club in Germany which I share with other players locally. I still do morning runs and avoid eating junk foods,” he said.

He revealed he intends to play for two more seasons before retiring.

“I will play for Police and Kenya if selectors need me."

“I think I have served the country the best way I could.”