Businessman Olivier Nizeyimana was Sunday elected the new president of Rwanda Football Federation (Ferwafa) in a poll that capped months of speculation sparked by the resignation of Brig Gen (rtd) Jean-Damascène Sekamana from the post.
The public transport tycoon brings a wealth of experience in football management and inside knowledge of Rwandan football dynamics to the Remera-based FA.
As president of Mukura Victory Sports and owner of a company that has been involved with football sponsorship for a while now, Nizeyimana is not only a football fan but the sport has virtually been part of his public life for many years.
While the new local FA boss is not an outsider in matters football, his arrival at Ferwafa marks a departure from the tradition of people with no known business acumen or passion for the sport to run the federation.
Most importantly, the timing of Nizeyimana’s election could not have been more perfect, considering the far-reaching impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on domestic football.
Rwandan football has long been blighted by a myriad of challenges. They vary from issues related to accountability to endless bickering and mistrust between fans, clubs and football administrators, to lack of youth development structures and perennial underperformance on the pitch.
Indeed, troubles on the pitch have directly affected overall performances off it.
However, the single most critical problem facing domestic football is failure to attract sponsors, at multiple levels. This has often seen clubs struggle to meet their running costs, many even unable to pay both players and coaching staff. Subsequently, this has left clubs in a perpetual state of crisis after crisis after crisis.
Those with relative stability, at least as far as finances go, are either linked to public institutions or security personnel.
For the most part, this has been fuelled by failure to run both the federation and member clubs professionally, with a clear vision and action plans. In view of that, many have failed to develop compelling proposals both at the national and club levels, often because those entrusted with these responsibilities have little interest in building a system that outlives their term in office and one that serves Rwandan football for the long-term.
The result has been a vicious cycle, leaving weary fans frustrated and resigned to fate.
Of course, as the old saying goes, a fish rots from the head down. Put another way, everything rises and falls on leadership. For long, the struggles at Ferwafa have directly impacted on the country’s football, and, therefore, any turn of events in a positive direction at the top echelons of Rwanda football will echo throughout the member associations.
If Nizeyimana follows through on his campaign promises, there is no doubt his administration will help open a new chapter for Rwanda football. But, to achieve their goals, they will need the full support of all stakeholders, including the fans, the corporate world, and the clubs themselves.