The Minister of Sports Aurore Mimosa Munyangaju has told the national football team players bound for the African Nations Championship (CHAN) that Rwandans have a lot of expectations from them, and should work hard to lift the national flag high in the competition.

Munyangaju made the remarks during a visit she paid to the team camp on Tuesday, January 12 to flag them off to Cameroon where the tournament will take place.

Beginning on January 16, the showpiece will gather 16 teams from across the continent including Rwanda.

The competition is exclusive for players who feature in local leagues in their respective countries.

The Amavubi will leave for Doula city, Cameroon on Wednesday January 13, with a contingent of 30 players and 21 staff, who have all tested negative for Covid-19.

"For days, you have been hearing what Rwandans are expecting from you: victory and national pride. This means that they still have confidence in you to achieve this, and you have the ability to perform well,” Munyangaju told the Amavubi players and staff.

This will be the fourth time that Rwanda will be featuring at the CHAN competition since the tournament’s inception in 2009.

In its three previous appearances, the country has only made once past the group stage; and this was back in 2016 when the country hosted the tournament.

This year’s games will be hosted by the cities of Yaounde, Douala, and Limbe in Cameroon.

Rwanda is in Group C along with neighbouring Uganda, North Africans Morocco, and West Africans Togo.