Peace Cup winner Djibrine Akuki Abubakar was beyond excited after winning his first ever major honor in his football career.
Abubakar capped a commanding display with a fine strike to open the scores for his side in the 57th minute as Police beat Bugesera FC 2-1 in the final at Kigali Pele Stadium on Wednesday, May 1, to win the 2023/24 Peace Cup, hence qualifying for the CAF Confederation Cup.
The Nigerian midfielder established himself as a key figure in coach Vincent Mashami's setup since signing from AS Kigali in July 2023. He left the fold of the Citizens after just six months due to unpaid wages.
"Winning my first trophy at any level is good for me, I am extremely glad. I believe bigger things are on the way." Abubakar told Times Sport.
Police survive late Bugesera scare to win Peace Cup
" I am pleased I brought happiness to the fans of Police FC with my goal. It is the most important goal in my career so far as it was in the final," Abubakar told Times Sport.
"Generally, the level of play was very high. Both teams played well and it shows Rwandan football has grown."
Despite winning the Peace Cup, Abubakar was quick to point out that Police FC is not a finished product yet and had more rooms for improvement to prepare enough for the CAF Confederation Cup.
"We are not a finished product yet. We have worked so hard to get this far but there are lots to be done. We will do our possible best to reach at least the group stages of the CAF Confederation Cup," he said.
Winning the double including the Heroes Cup and Peace Cup is no doubt a commendable achievement for Police.
However, the team has struggled in the league despite spending huge sums of on the likes of Abedi Bigirimana, Moro Sumaila, Peter Agblevor and other signings that would help the club compete for the title against APR.
The task wasn’t a success, as they went from title contenders at the end of the first round to drop in mid table as the league edges closer to conclusion.
Abubakar, however, came to the defense of his team and explained that sometimes it is not only the reality of football but it’s also what make the sport even beautiful.
"You cannot always get it as you want and that is the beauty of football. Our dream was to win the treble but we could only end up with two trophies which is not bad," he added.
Police FC will know their 2024/25 CAF Confederation Cup first preliminary round opponent's in August.