Uganda’s U-20 national team player, John Paul Dembe, has signed with the Swedish Premier League side BK Hacken.
He has inked a four-year contract with BK Hacken, transitioning from the Uganda Premier League side KCCA FC.
“I am very happy that, after a lot of work and even playing some friendly matches, I have signed a contract with BK Hacken. This is a very happy moment for me in my football career,” said Dembe.
Dembe joined the KCCA FC reserve side in 2022. He was later promoted to the senior team and signed a five-year contract until 2028.
To further his development, the forward was sent out on a six-month loan in July 2023 to the Swedish professional side BK Häcken.
BK Hacken currently plays in the Allsvenskan, the top tier of Swedish football. They are the reigning champions of the Swedish League. Dembe has predominantly featured for BK Hacken’s U19 side, scoring ten goals in eight games for the BK Häcken U19 team in the Swedish U19 Allsvenskan.
Dembe made his long-awaited senior debut for BK Hacken in the Europa League against Molde on November 9, 2023. He came off the bench in the 87th minute to mark his first senior appearance for the Swedish champions.
Aged 18, Dembe has previously played for the KCCA FC U20 side, which emerged victorious in the Cambiasso U20 International Tournament in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in July 2022.
Fast forward to February 2023, Dembe secured a spot in the final Uganda Hippos U20 side that competed in the AFCON U20 tournament in Egypt. The forward scored in the opening game for Uganda U20 against the Central African Republic in the first match of Group B at the Suez Canal Stadium in Egypt. Uganda won the game 2-1.
Dembe now joins a growing list of KCCA FC Soccer Academy graduates who have transitioned into the professional ranks, including Sadat Anaku, Allan Enyou, Musa Ramathan, Steven Sserwadda, and Allan Okello.
