APR and Atraco – end or start of an era!

Atraco wins the league, APR contented with second-best, Rayon Sports plan (or need) massive reorganization, same old story at Kiyovu and the small clubs remain that for the foreseeable future, standards of refereeing remain 50/50 while the poor ground spoil the party—this has been the story of the 2007/08 national football league. Although the season officially comes to an end today Sunday, August 10 with the last fixtures, Atraco knew they were champions after the final results from the previous round of matches on Thursday that had them 3-1 victors over relegated Military while the big match between APR and Rayon ended the exact way the Atraco camp wanted it to (draw). After only three years of trying, Atraco have managed to do what historical clubs like Kiyovu and Mukura have failed in decades at the same time breaking APR and Rayon’s duopoly on the league since 1995. In the past 13 seasons, the league has been shared between two teams, APR and Rayon Sports with the former having won it a record nine times, which is in total contrast with four for the latter. The last three seasons, this one ending today inclusive, have been the most closely contested in recent years—all that courtesy of Atraco Fc, who just three years ago where playing in the second division and are now going to rub shoulders with the best on the continent when next season’s MTN Champions League gets underway. From my point of view, we could as well start to assume that gone are the days when APR, because of their unrivalled riches comfortably won the title without having to dig deepest. Atraco not only have the money to rival APR but they also have the players, the coaching staff but most importantly the administration to take the club to new heights. And also, self-belief and the desire to break APR’s monopoly seemed to have driven them (Atraco) this far as rivals contemplate for the next move. Atraco title success and Rwanda’s own ‘Special One’ Atraco completed their first full season under Jean Marie Ntagwabira as coach with only their first league title since gaining topflight division status for the 2005/06 season. The Key men in this triumph have been, first and foremost the coach, Ntagwabira himself, midfielder Patrick Mafisango (who APR claim still belongs to them), striker Abedi Mulenda and defender Ismail Nshutinamagara. Although Atraco led the league table virtually all season long, they faced stiff competition from eventual runners-up and dethroned champions APR, third-placed Rayon did little to make it a three-horse, nonetheless, there was only one team going to win the title from the start of the season and that was Atraco. Having coached and won several cups with APR before they shamefully dumped him (due to internal politics) in favour of Congolese Andy Mfutila, Ntagwabira couldn’t find a better way of silencing his long list of critics than doing exactly what he’s done with Atraco. No wonder, he can even afford to describe himself as Rwanda’s version of Jose Mourinho. Despite not using the Portuguese’s real names, the former Rwandan international midfielder is now calling himself the ‘Special One’. Ironically, the ‘Special One’ replaced ‘Mourinho’ (as Atraco’s ex-coach Sam Ssimbwa was commonly referred to in the local football circles); funny though given the fact that the original ‘Special One’ is at the same time, the original Mourinho! Umm….. APR ‘comfortable’ with second-best!No sooner had APR won this year’s Amahoro Cup than they revealed how they had indeed achieved their main target for the year! The military side is the most successful football club in the country and among the best in the region, which makes them favourites to come out on top in every local or regional competition in which they participate. Their unprecedented success (9 league titles, 8 Peace cups, 2 Cecafa/Kagame Cups, 2 Lotto Rwanda cups and one Primus Cup) says all it there to tell about them. Yet after last season’s sweeping changes that saw almost the entire first team squad released, it was time for the club to revise their targets because they knew it was going to be hard if not impossible to continue dominating with ‘kids’. Same old story at Rayon and KiyovuFor the years I have been closely involved in Rwandan sports, mainly football, I’ve come to realize that both Rayon and Kiyovu are the two most troubled topflight football clubs. No malice here, it’s just a simple hard fact. From year to year, there are reports of in-house struggle for power and for decades these two clubs have been ruled by factions (at least it’s widely confirmed), with each faction fighting the other and the vicious circle goes on and… At least Rayon have the potential to challenge APR and Atraco for local supremacy but because all their members don’t speak the ‘same language’, the vice has gone on to haunt their club. Evidence is there for everyone to see (four league titles in 13 years, compare that to APR’s nine in as many years) and if they’re not careful, it won’t be long before Atraco overtakes them. As for the so-called fallen giants Kiyovu, the least said about them and their long standing drought for success the better, at least for now. Before the two oldest club in the country and the most supported of course, Rayon and Kiyovu put their house(s) in order, the new ‘kids on the block’ APR and Atraco are going to dominate football in this country for the next foreseeable future. Do Atraco deserve the league title?Ntagwabira says yes and is complimented by one of his bosses, Issa Ngeza, the club vice president and probably the most influential on the club board, so who would I be to say otherwise! Even APR’s Rene Feller sportintly conceded defeat, “Atraco deserve it.” It’s only three year since they (Atraco) came to the scene and now they’re champions of Rwanda. I hope Rayon, Kiyovu and to a small extent Mukura are taking note. From the first day of season, the taxi-men side led the league and never looked as though they’re about to let the chance to break APR’s dominance slip away, not at any cost. Atraco’s success is a blessing in disguise to local football as other clubs are now going to start asking themselves questions to which am afraid, they themselves have the answers. But more significantly, Atraco’s triumph could as well be the start of a new of era in Rwandan football because APR have now realized they have a new and more than capable rival to their dominance than what Rayon and the also runs like Kiyovu have been in the past. My verdict in today’s last fixturesMukura v APR (0-2)Etincelles v Police (0-1) Military v AS Kigali (1-1)Atraco v Kiyovu (2-0)Rayon Sport v Kibuye (2-0)Electrogaz v Marines (1-1) Ends