Today
Burundi v Rwanda

Rwanda has turned down Tanzania’s request for an international friendly after Malawi turned them down as well.

Ferwafa Chief Executive Officer Jules Kalisa revealed to Times Sport yesterday how they received a fax from their Tanzanian counterparts "desperately” requesting for the friendly.

Just last week Tanzania turned down Rwanda’s request (for a friendly game) hoping that they would convince Malawi but when thelatter turned them down, they came back to Rwanda and so Rwanda also used that chance to return the ‘favor’.

"Tanzania sent a fax requesting for an international friendly game but it (request) came too late as we had already settled for Burundi.

"It would have been better if they had put much concentration on our request in first place and not wait to be turned by Malawi before coming back to us,” a seemingly irritated Kalisa said.

Malawi turned down Tanzania’s request claiming that most of their national team players are busy engaged in European leagues and had been denied permission from their clubs.
Rwanda turned down Tanzania’s request because they had already fixed one against neighbors Burundi, which is on this afternoon at Prince Louis stadium in Bujumbura.  Burundi last recorded their win against Rwanda during the 1976 African Nations’ Cup qualifiers when Amavubi Stars went down 2-6 in Bujumbura.

Burundi who finished fourth in last year’s Cecafa Cup had initially been set to play against Algeria in Paris, France but their game was called off after the Burundians failed to obtain French visas. Today, Algeria plays Belgium. 

The Amavubi Stars’ assistant coach Jean Marie Ntagwabira told Times Sport yesterday before the team’s departure for Bujumbura that they won’t take the friendly against Burundi lightly and they are determined to return home with victory.

"We’ve prepared for this game like we would do for every international match and I hope we shall return with victory. It is a friendly but we are not taking it lightly,” the Atraco Fc head coach acknowledged.

The game against Burundi is one of the many that the local football governing body has planned for as part of Amavubi’s preparations before the 2010 African Nations and World Cup qualifying campaign gets underway.        
Rwanda, which is grouped alongside Morocco, Ethiopia and Mauritania in the qualifiers, starts their campaign against Mauritania on May 31 in Kigali.

While Burundi are in group nine along with Burkina Faso, Tunisia and Seychelles.
Ends