•Sacked coach leaves door open to return RAOUL Shungu may have been sacked brutally by Rayon Sport but his heart still lies with the Blues. In his latest remarks, he could not hide his frustration about the club’s exit from the MTN Peace Cup, their only hope of silverware in yet another disappointing season.
•Sacked coach leaves door open to return
RAOUL Shungu may have been sacked brutally by Rayon Sport but his heart still lies with the Blues. In his latest remarks, he could not hide his frustration about the club’s exit from the MTN Peace Cup, their only hope of silverware in yet another disappointing season.
Rayon have not won any silverware since the 2005 success in the Amahoro Cup (now MTN Peace Cup), and after the latest failure, Shungu said he feels for the fans and that he is open to a return to the club if that is what the fans what.
"I respect Rayon Sport and its fans. They love their team so much. I’m ready to return if they really want me to,” Shungu, who has been linked to coach Vanuatu, told Times Sport in an exclusive interview yesterday.
Rayon suffered a humiliating 1-5 aggregate defeat in the two-legged semi-final against league champions Atraco Fc.
After a 1-2 first leg defeat, the Blues were torn to pieces on Sunday in a 3-0 thrashing as the 2009 Cecafa/Kagame Cup champions (Atraco) remained on course to win an historical treble. "However, Rayon Sport (administrators) have a lot of issues they need to be resolved first before I can commit myself to a return,” he added.
The former assistant coach of Amavubi was sacked in May over what both camps claimed were "irreconcilable differences” at that time.
On top of being blamed for the loss of Rwf 15million on foreign players, some of whom have deserted the club since, he was also accused of causing division in the dressing room.
He is said to have created a rift between his assistant Jean Baptista Kayiranga and the players. Rayon also blamed him for creating bad blood between the club and the local football governing body, Ferwafa.
Withstanding Shungu’s misdeeds, he still ranks as Rayon’s most successful coach after guiding the club to four league titles (1997, 1998, 2002 and 2004) and one Cecafa Club Championship (1998).
After guiding the club to the 2004 league title, he moved to Seychelles for a short stint before reuniting with the club before the start of last season in which Rayon finished third, behind APR and Atraco.
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