Olivier Karekezi has joined Norway’s Tippeligaen Premier League club Ham Kam for undisclosed fee. The Amavubi Stars’ skipper signed a three-year deal with the Norwegian club last Friday to end his three-year stint with the Swedish and Allsveskan club Helsingborg. Ham-Kam was first promoted to the Norwegian Premier League in 2003 but faced relegation in 2006 before promotion last year. The 24-year-old attacking midfielder made the decision to leave the Swedish side in the wake of Baxter Stuart resigning as head coach last year. The Englishman threw in the towel because of irreconcilable differences with club top hierarchy, which he accused of repeatedly forcing him to sell-off top players. Ham Kam had for a long time shown keen interest of signing the former APR star, whose agent Peter Dahl is a Norwegian. Karekezi, whose contract with Helsingborg was due to run out this coming June, refused to sign an extended two-year deal, which would keep him with the Swedish club until June 2010. A third place finish in 1970 is the highest position that the team has held in the Premier League; the club has never progressed beyond the semifinals of the Norwegian Cup, last reaching the semifinals in 1989. Karekezi has already started training with his new team as they prepare for the start of the Tippeligaen league on March 18. Since joining the Swedish club in 2005, Karekezi made 60 appearances and scored 18 goals. His best year at Helsingborg was 2006 when he scored 11 league goals, making him the club top scorer that season. Last year, Karekezi scored five goals for his Swedish club in the last season’s Allsveskan Premier League and two in the Uefa Cup.Ends
