Ruremesha speaks out on his two-match ban

Saturday Espoir 1-2 APR Esperance 0-4 Rayon Sports AS Muhanga 1-3 Police Musanze 1-1 AS Kigali Marines 2-1 Gicumbi Amagaju 4-1 Mukura SC Kiyovu 2-1 Etincelle Espoir FC’s head coach Emmanuel Ruremesha has revealed his frustrations fuelled by his two-match ban by his club management over allegations that the team intentionally underperformed against teams at the bottom of the table. Ruremesha was suspended following three consecutive defeats at the hands of Amagaju (2-0), Esperance (2-1), and AS Muhanga (1-0)—teams that occupy the last three places in the 14-team league. Speaking to the Times Sport before Saturday’s clash with APR, the former Rayon Sports coach noted that he was initially full of frustration when he received the suspension letter from his bosses. “In life, there are ups and downs, and my suspension was one of the lowest moments in my career as a coach. I was banned for two matches without giving me the opportunity to defend myself against the accusations. “The fact that I felt wrongly accused; it increased my frustration as my ability to win or lose matches honestly influenced by the actions of the club management. “But as a professional sportsman, I took the suspension on the chin and decided to move on with my job (after the ban), I have to look forward, but it affected my plans coming into the final six or so games of the season,” admitted Ruremesha. In his absence, the Rusizi-based outfit lost against Gicumbi (1-0) and beat Police 3-2 last weekend. However, his return on the touchline ended in a 1-2 home defeat against title favourites APR on Saturday, a result that took the army side to within an arm’s-length to wrestle the title from archrivals Rayon Sports, who beat Esperance 4-0 to remain two points behind with one game remaining. Ruremesha’s current contract runs out at the end of July, but he remains unsure if he will be offered a new deal. Espoir, who face in-form Mukura in the last game on Saturday, dropped to sixth position in the table with 38 points.