Highs and lows in football of 2013, a year Amavubi continued dismal performance

With just four days to the end of 2013, Saturday Sport looks back at a near miserable year for Rwandan football at both club and international level.As always, there were high hopes for the country’s lead sport to bring a smile or two to the faces of the adoring and highly expectant fans, but all the hopes came to nothing as local clubs, for the umpteenth time, failed to impress on the continent, while the senior national team, Amavubi, had probably its worst year in recent times.But still there were a few positives here and there on the local football scene.Below are a few highlights of the good and bad moments that characterised the year in no particular order.1. Amavubi head coach Micho was sacked, Rwandan entrusted with teamSerbian Sredejovic ‘Micho’ Milutin was sacked as Amavubi Stars head coach in April on the back of a poor run of results, including in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, which would end with Amavubi rooted at the bottom of their group. The positive aspect here is that Micho was replaced by his assistant Eric Nshimiyimana, who had earlier twice served as the interim coach. Nshimiyimana’s former international teammate Baptiste Kayiranga was named his assistant. Despite this, however, Amavubi’s performance remained dismal throughout the year.2. Amavubi crash out of 2014 CHAN qualifiersThe senior national team was eliminated by Ethiopia from 2014 CHAN qualifiers on penalties. Rwanda lost 1-0 away in Addis Ababa but managed to get their revenge by a similar score in the return leg in Kigali. That wasn’t however enough as the Ethiopians proved far more lethal in the resultant penalties, meaning that Amavubi will be absent in the tournament – exclusive for home-based players – in South Africa next year. 3. Amavubi’s dismal showing at Cecafa Cup championships Seeking only their second regional title since – after that 1999 glory, courtesy of Rwanda B –, the Amavubi Stars were eliminated from this year’s Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup after losing to hosts Kenya in the quarter-finals. Nshimiyimana’s team had lost 1-0 to both Uganda and Sudan and beaten Eritrea 1-0 in the group stages. That means they lost three of the four matches they played at the regional championships! The defeat against eventual champions Kenya capped a disastrous year for the national team whose continental and world ranking has been plummeting for a long time now. Indeed this month Rwanda slipped six places further in Fifa world rankings – to 133th – and is one of the poorest ranked countries both in the region and on the African continent! 4. Rayon Sports win league title for the first time in eight yearsAfter a painful eight-year wait, Rayon Sports, arguably the most popular local club, won the national football league in Frenchman Didier Gomes Da Rosa’s first season as the coach. The team had also just been relocated back to Nyanza and taken over by Nyanza district. That title glory ended a miserable period for the blues who, since 2004, had played second fiddle to APR, who had won six titles in that period.5. AS Kigali win Peace Cup title after 12 yearsTwelve years since winning their last trophy, AS Kigali, under coach Andre ‘Casa’ Gasumbungo defied the odds to win the 2013 Peace Cup against Malaria after beating surprise finalists AS Muhanga in the final. That handed AS Kigali the opportunity to represent the country in the 2014 CAF Confederation Cup.6. Police FC win first ever trophy It is during the year 2013 that Police Football Club finally won their first ever trophy after beating league champions Rayon Sports 2-1 to claim the inaugural Ombudsman Cup. The win came under their newly appointed Ugandan coach Sam Ssimbwa, who had just replaced Serbian Goran Kopunovic, sacked after three seasons in charge.7. APR and Police flop in CAF competitionsLittle was expected from APR and Police in continental championships and therefore it did not come as a surprise when they crushed out of the CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup, respectively. Both the military side and the cops were eliminated by Burundian clubs Vital’O and Lydia Ludic, respectively, so early in the annual competitions.8. Record-breaker Karekezi hangs up playing bootsFormer Amavubi and APR skipper Olivier Karekezi this month called time on a 13-year stellar career during which he established himself as one of the country’s finest footballers ever.The 31-year old, who scored a record i25 goals in a record 53 appearances for his country, had earlier on announced retirement from international football but a serious knee injury forced him to prematurely end his stint at the CA Bizertin of Tunisia, the same country that hosted the only Nations Cup which Rwanda and Karekezi ever featured in – CAN finals 2004.Karekezi made his debut for Amavubi in 2000 during a two-all draw against Cote d’Ivoire in the qualifiers for the 2002 Fifa World Cup.The former APR striker scored his first international goal against Somalia during a Cecafa Challenge Cup in a 3-0 win for Amavubi Stars. 9. Three junior players join Valence academy in SpainThree U-18 players, namely defender Yves Rwigema, midfielder Anderson Neza and striker Filston Nkizingabo, all from SEC Academy, joined Valence Academy in Spain. This was part of a cooperation deal between local football governing body Ferwafa and their Spanish counterparts, a deal that was also sealed this year.10. Isonga relegated to second divisionIsonga FC was founded three years ago as a team of youngsters represented Rwanda in the U-17 African Youth Championships (in Kigali) and the Fifa World Cup in Mexico in 2011.The team had been created and registered to play in the topflight football national league straight away without earning promotion from the lower tier as is always the norm – the second division. Isonga would later finish in the sixth position in the 2011/12 campaign, which was decent enough for a one-year old club of players all aged below 18 years.But in the lead up to the season that followed – 2012/13 –, Isonga lost most of their stars, particularly to local top clubs, and their performance levels plummeted and were subsequently relegated to the second-tier league.11. Rayon’s Amiss crowned Best Player of the YearLast season’s national football league top scorer Cedric Amiss was named the Best Player in the country and has gone on to become an iconic player for Rayon Sports.The Burundian international scored 16 goals in 13 league matches, a record for the highest number of goals scored by a player in half a season.He joined Rayon in January and went on to better a previous record set by Labama Bokota Kamana, who scored 14 also for Rayon Sports in 2007.