Today

Isonga FC vs Rayon Sports 3:30pm

Wednesday

Police vs APR

Rayon Sports Football Club head coach Jean Baptiste Kayiranga is not happy with his employers after they allowed key players to leave the club before end of the Peace Cup. The final of the Cup competition will be played on July 4.

Rayon Sports take on Isonga this afternoon in the semi-final, second leg at Kicukiro stadium. Kayiranga’s side won the first leg 2-1 thanks to goals from Pierrot Kwizera and Djihad Bizimana. Mansour Senzira scored the lone goal for the relegated Isonga FC on Saturday at Muhanga stadium.

Last week Rayon captain Fuadi Ndayisenga and long-serving midfielder Aphrodis ‘Kanombe’ Hategekimana left the team to join Kenyan Premier League Sofapaka.

"I am not happy with the way the club let these players go, the timing was very bad as we are at a critical stage of the Peace Cup. They are both very good players and key to our plans for the whole season,” Kayiranga fumed in an interview with Times Sport.

He wondered, "I have no problem with players leaving when their contracts expire or just trying a new challenge but they should have gone after the Peace Cup because we have a good chance to reach the final.”

"You cannot let your best players go if you have a competition that you want to win, but I will use what I have. I can’t change what has happened but it is not good to let players like them go, I don’t know what ambitions the club have,” the ex-Amavubi midfielder complained.

His counterpart at Isonga, Innocent Seninga, believes his team can overturn the first leg deficit and book a place in the final where they would face either title holders APR or Police FC, who meet tomorrow in their semi-final second leg—the first leg ended 1-1 on Sunday.

Seninga said, "We lacked enough experience in the first leg but for the second leg it will be another story, we want to win the tie.”

Isonga, already relegated to the second division after only one season back in the top tier league, need just a 1-0 win to progress to the final.

"We will try to get one goal which will put Rayon Sports out of the competition. It will not be easy because they are a very strong and experienced side but we are going to give them a run for their money,” he added.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw