Constantine’s good start shouldn’t erase our worries

THE World Cup is around the corner. Next week on Thursday, football lovers all over the world will feast their eyes on the most glorious talent that has touched that incredible round ball. For us in Rwanda, the tournament couldn’t have come at a better time. We have a new manager for the Amavubi and we recorded an impressive win against Libya. A score of 3-0 is probably the best we have had in as many years. Important as well, electricity supply is much more stable than it was a few months ago; meaning that we could enjoy the World Cup without power cut interruptions. Usually, once in a while, I imagine Rwanda participating at the World Cup. It is a long journey, but it is achievable – hard work and spotting talent can do the trick. To get there is easier than staying there. It is a fight to climb ladders, with no mercy for those who even trail one step backwards. Once a country like Rwanda has improved, it must move forward or at least maintain its standards – then it can dream of participating at this glorious world tournament. Unfortunately, we have always had a step forward and a few steps backwards. This has made it so hard for us to qualify for important tournaments. Stephen Constantine has a clean record so far as the head coach for Amavubi, and probably, he can start to make us dream again. As a matter of fact, with that impressive win against Libya, Rwanda moved up fifteen places to 116th in the latest Fifa rankings. However, we must remember that David Moyes also started pretty well. For those of you who don’t know, who Moyes is, I will help. He is the man who succeeded the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson as the manager for English side Manchester United. Having started brightly with a 4-1 hammering of Aston Villa, Moyes went on to perform so poorly that he was fired even before he could finish a year at Manchester United. Therefore, the same applies to Amavubi. If we don’t see past the real weaknesses we have in Rwandan football, Constantine will unfortunately be building on sand. It is not enough to win against a strong side in a one-off game. What we need is long term success - that has its foundation in the rock of youthful talent. We need to see young coaches getting their professional badges and vying for top jobs in the country and region. We need to develop scouts to help spot talent all over the country. We don’t need an assembled team of A-class players who are in their prime; we need to see their replacements ready and at the same level. We need to see playing grounds sprouting up in every village to provide young people with a chance to develop their talent. If we pull this off, then maybe we can enjoy watching Rwanda at future World Cup tournaments. Never stop dreaming. But if we continue chasing for short term glory, we surely will have it one day. But it will only take us back into the 2004 cycle – where we qualified for African Cup of Nations but fell so badly thereafter because Desire Mbonabuca, Jimmy Gatete and company couldn’t carry us on their backs for another decad @RushAfrican on Twitter