Various government institutions, including local government entities, have had their budgets reduced ahead of the 2021/2022 fiscal year as the country continues to battle the covid-19 financial stress while looking for resources for different development initiatives.
This could, as a result, see clubs sponsored by districts and provinces struggle for finances if they fail to find a plan B.
Army side APR FC and Marines trade their football business with the support of Rwanda Defense Forces (RDF), Police FC under Rwanda National Police while businessman Kakooza Nkuriza Charles (KNC) breaks his personal bank account to invest in Gasogi United, just like Hadji Mudaheranwa does for newcomers Gorilla FC.
Rayon Sports, which boasts of many fans, gets money from club members and some corporate sponsors.
The remaining nine clubs namely Kiyovu SC (Nyarugenge), Musanze FC, Muhanga FC, Mukura VS (Huye), Bugesera FC, Etincelles, Espoir FC and Rutsiro FC partly rely on districts so far while AS Kigali and Nyagatare-based club Sunrise FC also operate under the sponsorship of the City of Kigali and Eastern Province.
Prior to budget planning, districts put a certain amount of money aside to sponsor their respective clubs.
They are, however, likely to see their budget for the 2021/22 budget reduced due to the financial setbacks caused by the persistent covid-19 and clubs which benefit from the budgets of districts and provinces could be the most hit if they don’t get alternatives.
Are clubs sponsored by districts at risk?
The budget that districts allocate to their clubs plays a big role in bridging financial gaps in clubs especially in buying and paying wages for players.
But, in case of financing shortage, some clubs that spoke to Times Sport said that they can still find other financial resources to survive.
"I think the budget for next fiscal year is under discussion. I believe they would have informed us about the changes [ about the money allocated to support the club],” said Jerome Gasana, the Technical Director of Mukura Victory Sport.
The Huye-based club received over Rwf 100 million as support for the 2020/21 season, but Gasana allayed fears that the club can’t go down just because the district’s budget is reduced as long as it has sponsorship.
Mukura is a club that has different sponsors. Of course we can be affected at some point, but we can’t be shaken if the support we get from the district is reduced. We know the situation that the country is going through and the problems that covid-19 has caused but we can carry on,” he said.
Jean Damascene Nsanzimfura, the president of Rutsiro FC, is of the view that a possible budget deficit won’t prevent the club from running as the club is always looking for other financial options besides the district’s support.
"As a club, you can’t expect that you can only rely on 100% support from district budgets. When such a financial crisis comes, you have to think beyond the district’s support and find solutions elsewhere to ensure that our club keeps running,” Nsanzimfura said.
What district officials say
Bugesera District Mayor Richard Mutabazi said it’s too soon to say which activities will be affected, in case the 2021/22 budget reduces, yet the district’s budget has not been approved yet.
"We don’t have the budget yet. It is still a draft and only the district executive council will decide which activities need to be supported,” Mutabazi told Times Sport in an interview.
The former Rwanda Volleyball Federation’s president, however, hinted that it won’t be easy to think about starting new projects with the current financial situation, but we can at least maintain the project running.
Meanwhile, Huye District Mayor Ange Sebutege avoided commenting on anything that has to do with the support that Mukura VS could get from the district next season as long as the budget has not been approved.
He said the current financial chaos can’t make the club struggle for funds to survive to the point that it can drop to the second division.