Amavubi interim coach Nshimiyimana returns to APR

After guiding the national team to the final of the 2009 Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup, Eric Nshimiyimana has joined his former club, APR as an assistant coach, Times Sport can exclusively report.

The 39-year-old coach was put in temporally charge of the Amavubi Stars after Branko Tucak was relieved of the duties last month, and guided the inexperienced team to the final of the regional tournament but lost 2-0 to Uganda.

While confirming Nshimiyimana’s capture from league rivals AS Kigali, APR Secretary General Kalisa Adolphe told Times Sport yesterday that they had opted for the former Rwandan international because he is a "rising star” in the game.

"He is a young coach, who is a rising star in the game. He played and captained this club for many years, so we hope that with him, this club is going to move forward,” Kalisa said.

The ex-Amavubi Stars captain has signed a one-year contract to work as Erik Paske’s assistant.  But the club could not reveal the terms of the deal that must surely have left the bosses at the Kigali City Council sponsored AS Kigali in a big shock.

Most successful

As a towering midfielder in his playing days, Nshimiyimana had two excellent spells with APR, only interrupting it with a short spell with Kiyovu in the late 90s.

He ended his playing career at the military side five years ago and was immediately named assistant coach to Jean Marie Ntagwabira, with whom they guided the club to it’s most successful period thus far.

The pair, both former club players, steered APR to the 2004 Cecafa Club Championship for the first time and the team was just penalty shoot-out away against Ivory Coast’s Africa Sports from reaching the group stages of the African Champions League.

New changes

Meanwhile, the big spending ten-time league champions have also made a number of other changes, which include forming a technical committee that will oversee the daily activities of the team.

The committee includes; the club S.G Kalisa Adolphe, head coach Paske and his new assistant Nshimiyimana, goalkeeping coach Claude Ishimwe plus the Academy coach Andreas Spier.

As part of the new changes, APR have also named striker Abbas Rassou the new team captain, taking over from Erias Ntaganda.

Given that he only signed for APR, for a second spell at the start of the current campaign in August, Rassou’s choice is a surprise one to say the least, considering that the club has overlooked the two men, Patrick Mafisango and Mbuyu Twite, who have been serving without any difficulty in the absence of Ntaganda.

The veteran Rwandan international has seen his playing time at the club diminishing by the day while injuries have also taken a big toll on the aging body of once one of the most reliable fullbacks Rwandan football as ever produced.

Also according to the new changes, APR will start having double training sessions everyday.

Ends