Ferwafa considers tournament football to replace 2020/21 season
Wednesday, March 17, 2021
Rayon Sports and AS Kigali players battle for the ball during a past league match at Kigali stadium. The national football governing body, Ferwafa is considering changing this yearu2019s league into a tournament competition. / Photo: Sam Ngendahimana.

As resumption of Primus Football League hangs in balance, the football governing body (Ferwafa) is considering changing the format by having teams playing the 2020/21 league in groups.

There were hopes that the cabinet meeting that convened on Monday would allow the top flight league to resume but that didn’t happen, something that has frustrated some football stakeholders in the country.

Only international sports competitions, including 2021 AFCON Qualifiers, CAVB-African Club Championships, Tour du Rwanda 2021, Kigali International Peace Marathon, FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, and Basketball Africa League (BAL) as well as Afrobasket 2021 finals were given a go ahead.

Ferwafa claims to have submitted a detailed plan last month which conforms to all requirements that the Ministry of Sports demanded for the league to resume, however it remains unclear when exactly the league will return.

At this point, Ferwafa is looking into the possibility of putting clubs into groups as soon as the league resumes instead of calling it off.

"We still have various options [under which the league would be played]. We can do it in groups depending on remaining time but I think cancelling the league is not part of the options we have on table yet,” Karangwa told Times Sport.

Karangwa couldn’t reveal more details about what the new format would look like but insisted that the federations had no plan to cancel the league.

 "So far playing the league in groups is one crucial option that is on the table now,” he said.

The federation is still running against the clock to keep the league season alive but whatever possibility to play it again will depend on the government approval.

One of the advantages of playing the league in groups is that it could reduce the number of games that each club will play.