Rayon keen on Shungu, three others

RAYON SPORT is not only talking to former coach Raoul Shungu but the club has also contacted three other experienced coaches to manage the club.

Thursday, October 04, 2012
FAVOURTIE: Raoul Shungu is highly regarded by Rayon Sportu2019s fans. The New Times/File.

RAYON SPORT is not only talking to former coach Raoul Shungu but the club has also contacted three other experienced coaches to manage the club.Nyanza mayor Abdallah Murenzi, whose district oversees the management of Rayon Sport, confirmed yesterday that three other coaches, namely Uganda’s Sam Timbe, Frenchman Christophe Gomez and Burundian Cedric Kaze, are also in contention for the Blues coaching role.Murenzi said, "It is not true that Shungu is in the country for talks. We are in contact with Shungu just like other coaches. He is a candidate just like Timbe, Gomez and Kaze.”"The club management is closely reviewing everyone’s demand to clearly come up with a suitable coach who can help revive the club following a bad start to the season,” added Murenzi.Murenzi attributed to the early dismal performance of the team to their recent relocation from Kigali back to Nyanza."It was not easy for players to fully adapt to the new environment, but we are optimistic the club will soon return to its winning ways.”After losing three consecutive matches in the opening three matches (of the new season), the club is looking for a coach who can occupy the void left behind by Jean Marie Ntagwabira who resigned at the end of last season.The man whose name remains on the lips of many Rayon Sport fans is Shungu, the Congolese tactician who left the club in 2004 to join Seychelles national team, where he worked as national technical director between 2004 and 2008.He returned in 2008 and spent a season with Rayon before leaving – again.Shungu has one year remaining on his current contract with DR Congo side Vita Club.He helped Rayon win the first ever Cecafa club championship for a Rwandan team in 1998.He also guided them to the league title in 1997, 1998 and 2002. Timbe, who currently manages Uganda’s league club Police FC, is another familiar figure. He led the now defunct Atraco to the 2009 Cecafa/Kagame Cup success in Khartoum, helped Tanzania’s Yanga win the 2011 Cecafa Kagame Cup before returning to his country save Police FC from relegation.Kaze, who is managing Burundi’s Atletico, also proved he is an experienced coach when he guided the club to the quarter finals of this year’s Cecafa/Kagame Cup in Tanzania, after impressing at the preliminary stage.