Rwanda yet to consider Kuze return

Rwanda is yet to decide on whether to bring back Josip Kuze as national team coach after the Croat was axed by Japanese Premier League club JEF United Chiba last week.

Monday, May 12, 2008

Rwanda is yet to decide on whether to bring back Josip Kuze as national team coach after the Croat was axed by Japanese Premier League club JEF United Chiba last week.

The Secretary General in the ministry of Sports and Culture Jean Pierre Karabaranga told Times Sport yesterday that they are yet to consider Kuze’s return though the two parties had some small contract commitments still in place.

"It’s unfortunate that he has been sacked from his job in Japan but we are yet to decide on what to do.”

"We still had some contract commitments since his abrupt resignation from his job in Rwanda early this year.”

"Kuze recommended Tucak Blanko for the current Amavubi head coach post and there is no way we can immediately terminate his (Tucak) job in favor of Kuze,” Karabaranga admitted.

"If it’s really necessary (to change coaches) then we have to first try Tucak, give him time to do he can do and after evaluating him, then we can think of bringing Kuze back,” he stated.

Kuze was sacked after four months of helm at JEF United Chiba. JEF United Chiba dismissed Kuze as the J-League club is struggling at the bottom of the table without a win.

Chiba have had just two points from 11 matches in the top flight since Kuze took charge of the club, which experienced an exodus of key players like Naotake Hanyu and Satoru Yamagishi during the close season.

The decision to ditch the 55-year-old Croatian came a day after his side’s 3-0 loss at league leaders Urawa Reds, which condemned Chiba to seven successive defeat in the league.

Chiba has since appointed Liverpool first-team coach Alex Miller to take over as manager.

Kuze resigned as Amavubi team head coach, after four months of penning a two year deal which would expire in 2010.

The former Dynamo Zagreb coach Kuze signed a two-year contract deal in October last year to guide the Amavubi Stars to the 2010 African Nations Cup finals.

Kuze had helped Rwanda finish second at last year’s GTV Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup held in Dar-es Salaam, Tanzania.

Kuze was the third coach from former Yugoslavia federation to take charge of the Rwandan national team. His predecessor, Serb Ratomir Dujkovic left a huge impact in Rwanda after leading the team to its maiden appearance at the African Nations Cup in 2004 and he later led Ghana to the second round of World Cup 2006 in Germany where they lost to Brazil.

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