Give Habineza a break

FLAG-OFF - Give space! Sports Minister Joseph Habineza has been heavily criticized and disrespectfully attacked at lengthy for bringing retired world soccer stars Marcel Desailly, Christian Karembeu and Basil Boli instead of Drogba, Adebayor, Kanu and Zizou as earlier promised.

Monday, October 22, 2007
Minister Habineza Joseph.

FLAG-OFF - Give space! Sports Minister Joseph Habineza has been heavily criticized and disrespectfully attacked at lengthy for bringing retired world soccer stars Marcel Desailly, Christian Karembeu and Basil Boli instead of Drogba, Adebayor, Kanu and Zizou as earlier promised.

I think curling lips over Habineza is pretty unfair. We should instead express our gratitude towards the initiative, which I believe it is worth writing home about.

Let us look beyond ourselves and appreciate efforts and innovation of bringing international stars to Rwanda other than criticizing the results of the action.

Other than castigating and attacking the minister’s implementation of his initiative, we should render him support to maintain this initiative for the better of our sports.

Look at this situation; somebody finds you starving nearly to death and he promises to bring you two loaves of bread. Afterwards, he only manages to secure one loaf probably because of some erratic factors. Would you express disappointment or appreciation towards him? 

I find this very peculiar, and actually a skyrocketing sort of level of arrogance to undermine the visit of former French stars, Marcel Desially, Christian Karembeu and Basil Boli.

These are big names in world soccer a reason why we should have been proud of attracting them to this tiny East African state.

We are forgetting that there are many countries that could be yearning these living legends regardless of hanging up boots.
Football is not only today’s. The shining stars today are the only recognizable icons in football.

Everything has history so soccer does. Extending positive reception towards the initiative of introducing Rwandan football to internationals would therefore be more necessary than castigating its outcome.   

Although the minister and his colleges failed to bring in the selected stars as earlier publicized, he must have attained experience that will be of significance in future.

In general across board, our sports fraternity should integrate sustainable developmental initiatives such as creating network with established contacts in international sports. We shall subsequently attain precious ideas as well as securing long term developmental partnership.

A female King unnoticed

It’s amazing how Rwanda, a country that got through horrible moments, is rapidly turning into a place attractive to world acclaimed personalities. 

From Bill Clinton, Bill Gates to Jack Hanna! Now, it’s Betsy King in the story. She was down here for almost a week with other famous LPGA stars on her charitable work.

Credit should go to this government and its people for tremendous work executed to create a magnificent state out of limbo.

This portrays how the country has managed to reshape itself greatly out of tatters following the 1994 massacre. I should count myself lucky that I caught her glimpse at the Nyarutarama golf club following the MTN Classic Golf tournament of which she graced, while conducting a clinic for young golfers.

Aren’t you jealous of me? Not now? Trust, you will be after getting to know her achievements on the greens.

Ends