Zambian speedy winger Fashion Sakala has joined Saudi Arabian club Al Fayha from Scottish giants Rangers FC for an undisclosed fee.
The forward confirmed his exit from Rangers FC via a post on Twitter on Monday, in which he expressed gratitude to the club and fans for his time in Glasgow.
During his two-year stint at the club, Sakala amassed 24 goals and 15 assists in 91 appearances, along with the Scottish Cup title.
He also featured in a major European final during the 2022 UEFA Europa Final against Frankfurt.
His departure from the Scottish outfit has surprised many, as the 26-year-old was just hitting peak form under the stewardship of Michael Beale.
The trickster has since signed for Saudi side Al Fayha following his untimely exit from Scotland.
Meanwhile, in his unveiling video, Sakala says, “Everyone is talking about it, I am proud to be part of it.”
What do we know about Al Fayha?
Al Fayha has been plying their trade in the Saudi Pro League since 2017 when they gained promotion from the second tier.
The club was founded in 1953 and is located in the city of Al Majma’ah, just north of the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh.
Al Fayha plays their home matches at the 7000-seat King Salman Sport City Stadium, which they share with city rivals Al-Faisaly and Al-Mujazzel.
They will not be locking horns with any of those two rivals in the top flight this season, as both sides play in lower divisions.
Al Fayha goes by the nickname ‘Al Burtuqali’, which means “The Orange,” as the club wears an orange kit with blue in it. Sakala will be pretty familiar with such an outfit due to the fact that the Zambian national team also wears orange.
What has Al Fayha won ?
Besides the 2017 Saudi First Division title, which they secured during their first-ever topflight promotion, Al Fayha’s biggest achievement was winning the 2021–22 King’s Cup title. They stunned Asia’s most decorated club, Al Hilal, in the final by winning the penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw.
They are currently managed by Serbian manager Vuk Rasovic, who guided them to their historic triumph against Al Hilal.
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Al Fayha’s squad is predominantly composed of Saudi Arabian players, with a few international stars.
Sakala will be joining Nigerian forward Anthony Nwakaeme and Macedonian playmaker Aleksandar Trajkovski, who booted Italy out of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, among others.
As of this season, Al Fayha will be participating in the AFC Champions League alongside the Saudi Pro League and Kings Cup. They finished 10th in the Saudi top flight last season with 8 wins and 33 points.
La Burtuqali is unbeaten in their club-friendly so far, with a goalless draw against Szeged 2011 and a 3-1 victory against Al Rayyan SC.
