Amavubi’s future and Nshimiyimana’s dilemma

It is very easy to pick out which year has been most memorable for Rwandan football fans. The year 2004 will forever be unforgettable. With players like Olivier Karekezi and Jimmy Gatete, football was ecstatic and Rwanda seemed like it was primed for greatness. Suddenly boom! Whatever happened between then and now is as puzzling as the Bermuda Triangle. Rwandan football plummeted from a glorious spell and was swallowed by strong forces of consistent underperformance. I am not a fan of international friendly fixtures. Most of the time, all they do is tire players who are needed by their clubs for more important matches. Yet according to Fifa, these friendlies are no longer “friendly”. They are in actual sense competitive games for positions in the world rankings. Rwanda’s recent friendly against Burundi ended in a draw; meaning that, even for a person with a strong memory, it’s hard to recall the last time Amavubi won a competitive game. But the coach can be forgiven for the draw, considering the fact that he only had two professional players at his disposal, while Burundi treated the tie like a World Cup qualifier by summoning nine of its pros including two, who ply their trade in the Rwandan league. Changing coaches was always going to be tough. But maybe it was our best shot at making things work. Eric Nshimiyimana was given a contract that was shorter than his predecessor’s distance to a new job, and in a matter of time, his contract will either be allowed to expire this month, or be renewed – all depending on several factors. At least one positive mark that I always craved for came to pass—handing the Amavubi coaching job to a Rwandan was as tough a call, and yet, it’s the most realistic option to get Rwandan football back on its heels. Despite their wonderful CVs, foreign coaches, especially Europeans, are usually short sighted and are always after one or two things – to put them into the lime light and to make their CV even bigger. Rather than building a national team that can compete for years, they only build for short term successes. This is a road that we should avoid. Therefore, whether Nshimiyimana is given the benefit of the doubt or not, the appointing authorities should not commit the same mistakes again by trying to lure a foreign coach—at least for now. We do not need to start from scratch again; and that is where a foreign coach will take us. We need someone, who already understands what Rwandan football is all about – our strengths and weaknesses. Despite the dismal showing in 2013, Nshimiyimana has indicated that he has the strengths – the father figure, the knowledge and credentials to take the team forward, although not many would want to share this sentiment. He would take my vote even without a twitch, but if Ferwafa and the ministry of sports and culture think that he doesn’t deserve a second chance, at least let them save us the agony of another foreign coach. @RushAfrican on Twitter