• FA chief emphasizes need for Youth Football

Brig. General Jean Bosco Kazura yesterday emphasized the need to develop youth football in Rwanda after being elected overwhelming to serve a second term as president of the National football federation.

The elections were initially supposed to have taken place last Saturday but then postponed due to the disqualification of some candidates who were deemed not fit enough to stand.

Despite standing unopposed, Kazura got 100% of the votes; Raoul Gisanura was elected the new vice president defeating the incumbent Vedaste Kayiranga. Gisanura has been heading the federation’s Protocol Commission.

Bank Populaire chairman Bernard Itangishaka was retained as Treasury, while Emmanuel Ndagijimana will be the federation’s legal advisor.

The post of technical advisor fell to Celce Gasana, while Richard Gahonzire will be in-charge of Ferwafa’s marketing department. He has been the president of the national team’s fans’ club.  Both Boniface Nsabimana and Steven Balinda retained their posts as heads of Competitions and Security and Referees’ Commissions respectively.

Felicite Rwemalika also retained her post as head of women football.

After a straight-forward victory along with almost all his team from the first team, Kazura highlighted the importance of developing the raw talent among the youth as basis on which local football will be developed in Rwanda.

"We started the National football Academy with the sole purpose of developing youth football, and that is our main mission for the next four years.

"We want a team only composed of Rwandese players in the next two years and that is what we are preparing the boys in the academy for,” Kazura told Times Sport.

Meanwhile, Kazura and the federation Chief Executive Officer Jules Kalisa have been named on the organizing committee of 2010 African Nations Cup, which is due to start on January 10 in Luanda, Angola.

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