Rwandan international referee, Hudu Munyemana has called time on his refereeing career after 15 years of service. His last match was the final of the inaugural ‘AS Kigali Pre-season Tournament’ between APR FC and DR Congo’s AS Vita Club, last week.

The 42-year-old match official’s retirement comes barely three weeks before the start of the 2016/17 national league season.

The father of three started his refereeing career in 2001 and waited for over 10 years to handle his first CAF match in 2013, between Tanzania and Cameroon. Munyemana said he is quitting football to focus on family matters..

 "I am very excited to start this new chapter in my (private) life after wonderfully rewarding years as a referee on the pitch,” Munyemana told Times Sport, adding that, "I have been lucky enough to be involved in the CAF and FIFA competitions.”

He added that refereeing has given him so much and it’s important that those match officials who have had the rewards remain in the game to pass on their knowledge to the young generation.

"I now look forward to another chapter. I need more time to take care of my family,” he said.

His experience includes the Kagame Cup, CAF continental Africa Cup of Nations, / FIFA/ Africa World Cup qualifiers, Olympic qualifiers, CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup as well as the CAF U20, U23 assignments.

Munyemana’s performance in international matches includes 2 red cards, 3 penalties and a record 91 yellow cards—these figures are based on the world referee statistics from FIFA.

Eric Ruhamiriza, the head of the referee’s committee in Rwanda Football Association (FERWAFA) described Munyemana as one of the best refs the country has had, as seen from the good number of CAF and FIFA championships that he handled.

"We thank him for a magnificent and unparalleled refereeing career, and we wish him all the best in his new challenges,” noted Ruhamiriza.

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