Pair in must-win ties as league enters final stretch

Today
Military v Atraco
Police v Kiyovu
Kibuye v Etincelles
Electrogaz v Mukura 
Rayon Sport v APR
Marines v AS Kigali

APR versus Rayon Sport has been the best football game in the local league over the years and their meeting has always been a source for all kinds of talks among their faithful.

There is no love lost between the sides and when the two archrivals lock horns this afternoon at the bumpy surface of Mironko grounds, as always, a lot more than the three points will be at stake.

Let us have a brief retrospect of the military side. APR is perhaps the best team of the national leagues having won the title a record nine times. The club started its conquest journey in 1995 and has never turned back.

The club won the local league in all the years from 1995 to 2007 except in the years of 1997, 1998 and 2002 and 2004 when Rayon Sport were the victors.

Rayon is the most supported club in the land and has been in the lime light ever since the 60s until the mid 90s when APR came to the scene.

This particular meeting is of significant importance to the destiny of this year’s league title as a win for APR will increase their chances of pushing Atraco until the last fixture on Sunday while Rayon’s victory do will exactly the opposite.

Nearly men about to become real men?
If Atraco wins against already relegated Military at Kanombe ground this afternoon and APR drop points against Rayon, the former will be crowned league champions with a game still to play.

Atraco have been nearly there in terms of winning something since their promotion to the topflight division in 2005/06 season but every time they’ve been beaten to the cup by APR.

In their debut season, under Ugandan coach Sam Ssimbwa, the taxi-men club were piped to both the league (by a point) and the Amahoro cup final by APR and it was the same story the following season, only that this time, they finished third in the league, two points behind APR and Rayon.

But with two rounds of matches remaining, one after today, Jean Marie Ntagwabira’s side is favourites to win this year’s league.

Atraco lead the league table with 51 points, two ahead of defending champions, APR with Rayon a distant third on 44 points.

Title going to the wire
If football was played on paper, Atraco fans would expect a routine win over Military and hope that APR fails to beat Rayon.

Wins for both Atraco and APR will mean that for the third year running, the league champion is decided on the last fixture of the season.

Atraco host Kiyovu while APR travels to Mukura on Sunday for the last matches of the campaign with both sides separated by two points.

Ends