Former Tusker FC defender Eugine Asike has opened up on the challenges of balancing school and a football career in England.Asike who is undertaking a three-year degree course in Sports Science at Brighton University has also signed a two-year contract with English side Whitehawk FC, a team in the city of Brighton which plays in the Isthmian League Premier Division which is the seventh tier in English football.Ex-Harambee Stars ace throws weight behind McCarthyThe defender is currently in Nairobi for a short break and has been training with Football Kenya Federation Premier League (FKFPL) side Kariobangi Sharks at Utalii grounds.“Balancing work and study is not easy considering that all my life I have been on the pitch. It is a delicate balance because I have to play and study at the same time,” he said.##NAJAVA_MECA_8619943##Asike revealed that the team’s training schedule has helped him cope with the demands as they train at night allowing him enough time to go to school during the day.He also admitted that he has had to adapt to the professional manner of how things are run in England.Star striker seeks exit from AFC Leopards“It is quite professional and the players are fast and physical but I am settling in well. Furthermore, football is big business there and the culture is quite different from what we have at home.Despite not being the top flight, the professional manner in which the league is run is quite a challenge for us in Kenya,” said Asike.##NAJAVA_MECA_8619910##Asked why he opted to train with Kariobangi Sharks and not Tusker, Asike said the sessions at Utalii Grounds are part of his class work.“I am studying something in my course work together with the strength and conditioning coach of Sharks. I have no problem with Tusker and I will be visiting them before I fly back to England on Sunday,” revealed Asike.’I do not play for the team, I play for my mum’ – Sofapaka’s Baron OchiengApart from Tusker, Asike also played for KCB FC and Sofapaka locally. He had a brief stint in Sweden on his first professional stint abroad.
