Rayon look to beef up squad ahead of Champions League

Rayon Sports head coach Didier Gomes da Rosa is keen to add “one or two” experienced players to his squad in January to ensure that the champions stand their ground when they return to Africa Champions League next year. “We need an experienced defender to replace injured Faustin Usegimana and an all-rounder player to boost our team’s chances in the continental competition,” he said last week. The Frenchman, whose team leads the league halfway through the season, said that competing at the highest level requires a great deal of experience, skills and tactical awareness.“The Champions League is a tournament of immense magnitude; one cannotcompare it to the local league where we can use a blend of experience and emerging talent,” he observed. The seven-time league champions will begin their continental campaign early February – against Congo’s AC Leopards in the preliminary round.The blues’ boss added: “We need to bring in players next month to fill the gap we have, we need to have a full squad to compete in a competition which we want to do better than any time before.” Besides trying to defend their domestic league title in what is said to be the toughest season in years and progress to the first round proper of the CAF Champions League, Rayon Sports are also keen to improve their performance in the local Peace Cup competition.