Former Super Eagles forward, John Utaka was officially unveiled byIsmaily SC in a press conference in Ismailia, rejoining El Daraweesh on a
two-year deal.
The 34-year-old striker agreed to join Daraweesh after his contract
with Turkish side Sivasspor came to an end. Utaka was in the stands at
the Alexandria Stadium on Saturday to watch Ismaily defeat Al Masry 2-0
in the Egypt Cup, and on Sunday, he was introduced to the club’s fans in
an elaborate conference.
Ismaily President, Brigadier Mohammed Abu Soud and Shady Pacific
Utaka’s agent as well as the French lawyer, were all present at the
signing on Sunday. Utaka previously played with Ismaily SC for one
season, 2000/01, joining from Arab Contractors after playing two seasons
with the Mountain Wolves.
Overall, Utaka made over 60 appearances in Egypt and scored league 31
goals, winning the Egypt Cup while being the league’s top scorer with
Ismaily SC. Utaka then left Ismaily to join Qatari club Al-Sadd for
$1,000,000, a record transfer fee in Qatar at the time.
John Utaka played for a host of European clubs such as Lens, Rennes,
Portsmouth and Montpellier HSC, who he won the Ligue 1 title with during
the 2011/12 season under Rene Girard. Utaka is the third player to join
Ismaily SC this transfer window after signing former Real Betis
left-back Amro Tarek and Amr Abdel-Fattah from Kuwaiti side Khaitan SC.
