THE junior wasps’ unmatched feat at the on-going 9th Caf U-17 championship is testament that all the hard work that has been put into youth development over the last four years is starting to pay off according to Sports minister Joseph Habineza.

The youngsters sent the nation into excitement on Tuesday after defeating Egypt 1-0 to qualify for the 2011 Fifa U-17 World Cup which will be held in Mexico and the minister was quick to commend the team for the accomplishment.

"Qualifying for a FIFA competition is a huge success and I would like to commend the team for that achievement,” he said before adding that the players would cash on hefty prizes after the continental tournament.
"I don’t want to go into details but they will certainly be rewarded for the good work.”

"They still have to win to qualify to the final. We want the championship title to remain at home,” added Habineza.
Since 2006, Rwanda through the local football governing body, Ferwafa has put great focus on youth development by pushing for the establishment of more youth football academies.

One such academy is the Amavubi academy of excellence which was constructed under the support of Fifa boss Sepp Joseph Blatter and inaugurated in January, 2008. It provides 80% of the junior wasps’ team.

Fifa contributed $450.000 to the $700,000 football complex with Ferwafa contributing the rest ($250.000).

Some of the other academies that have sprung up since include APR, SEC, Police and SC Kiyovu.

Ends