Etoile de l'Est Secretary General Elia Byukusenge has heaped praise on his players for their self-belief which played an instrumental role in their qualification back to the Rwanda Premier League.

The Ngoma-based club were relegated to the second tier at the end of the 2021/2022 season but they regrouped and secured their ticket back to the top flight league as second division champions despite losing their last game against Amagaju.

"We thank our fans for being with us the whole season. Credits also goes to the players for their self-belief. It was not easy to create a new mentality to the players who had been relegated but they have done it," Byukusenge told Times Sport.

"We are putting things back in order, the journey is just getting started. We are going to work hard to stay in the Premier League and we hope so."

Etoile follows the steps of Sunrise FC who were relegated in the 2020/21 season but made immediate return to the Premier League after one season.

Many of the players who were with Etoile during their time in the Premier League were retained and this helped them to have a winsome squad in their Division 2 campaign.