Chima Okorie
Chima Ephraim Okorie (born 8 October 1968 in Izomber, Abia State) is a Nigerian former professional football striker who was renowned for his goalscoring prowess in the Indian leagues.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Chima Ephraim Okorie | ||
| Date of birth | 8 October 1968 | ||
| Place of birth | Izomber, Imo State, Nigeria | ||
| Playing position(s) | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1984–1985 | Chandigarh Football Club | ||
| 1985–1987 | Mohammedan SC | (54) | |
| 1987–1990 | East Bengal | (121) | |
| 1991–1993 | Mohun Bagan | (114) | |
| 1993 | Peterborough United | 5 | (1) |
| 1993–1994 | Grimsby Town | 5 | (0) |
| 1994–1995 | Torquay United | 14 | (5) |
| 1995 | Sogndal | 9 | |
| 1995–1996 | Ikast FS | 3 | (0) |
| 1996–1997 | Viborg FF | ||
| 1997–1999 | Mohun Bagan | (39+) | |
| 2001–2002 | Bengal-Mumbai FC | (11) | |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only | |||
Okorie moved to India as a student, his big break came when he played first time in the Durand Cup, when he represented Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad x1. There was no such thing as Chandigarh team was an all volunteer team and could not afford to pay their players. He then signed a major deal with Mohammedan SC, East Bengal and Mohun Bagan. He then moved to England, joining Peterborough United on non-contract terms before joining Grimsby Town in September 1993.
He made his English league debut as a substitute away to Crystal Palace winning the Sunday Man of the match, and made four further appearances (all as a substitute) as his career at Grimsby was interrupted by a broken leg. He moved to Torquay United in March 1994 and was a regular in the Torquay side for the next twelve months, before losing his place to Duane Darby.
He was released at the end of the 1994-95 season was joined Norwegian premier side Sogndal, later playing for Danish premier sides Ikast FS and Viborg FF. He returned to India to play again for Mohun Bagan, but received a two-year suspension after being accused of assaulting a referee in a game on 31 August 1999.
On 3 June 2006 he was made manager of Bengal-Mumbai FC, and also became the club's CEO on 16 August. He was appointed manager of Mohun Bagan on 20 February 2007, but resigned on 7 April following differences with the club's senior players.[1] He then became the manager of the Delhi based I-League 2nd division side Osian's New Delhi Heroes.
References
- "Displeased with seniors, Chima resigns as Mohun Bagan Coach". ExpressIndia.com: Kolkatta Newsline. 7 April 2007. Retrieved 21 April 2007.