Rayon fans anxious over delay to appoint coach

Saturday Rayon Sports vs Amagaju – Kigali Regional StadiumEtincelles vs Isonga – Umuganda StadiumEspoir vs Mukura – Rusizi Stadium Sunday Gicumbi vs Police – Gicumbi StadiumAPR FC vs Musanze – Kigali Regional StadiumKiyovu Sports vs Marines – Mumena StadiumSunrise vs AS Kigali – Rwamagana Stadium With two days to the start of the national league, Rayon Sport fans are worried their team will trail as the club management is yet to appoint a new head coach after the departure of Jean-Francois Losciuto. The Nyanza-based side start the league campaign against Amagaju in a game that acting head coach Sosthene Habimana will be desperate to win to position himself for a permanent role. Jean Pierre Mbaraga, a barber who has been a Blues fan for several years wonders why the club hasn’t been swift in getting a new coach and fears that the inexperienced Habimana will only drag down the team which finished second in the league. “All that the club keeps telling us is that they are in talks with different foreign coaches but I wonder why they can’t go for local coaches like Andre Cassa Mbugo who have proven to have the potential to take charge of big clubs,” says Mbaraga. Cassa Mbugo guided Police to the Cecafa club Semi-finals having previously helped AS Kigali finish second in the 2012/13 season. He is known to operate on shoe string budgets, something that the blues would welcome considering their history of financial hurdles. For Théogène Mukunzi, a season ticket holder who prides himself in contributing a monthly sum to the club, he is already bracing himself for a poor season. “A new coach will need time to study the players, opposition and stamp his authority on the club. Time that the club does not have because the games will be coming thick and fast,” Mukunzi says adding that it won’t surprise him if the club falls behind their rivals. Tardy favourite to takeover Aimé Emmanuel Niyonsabye, the Club Secretary General has allayed fans’ fears of performing poorly due to the delay of appointing a new coach. “Habimana is a competent coach who has taken charge of the team before. We believe he has the skills to guide the team as we finalise negotiations with a new coach,” Niyonsabye says. Habimana also confirmed that the blues are in advanced talks with former U-17 and U-20 Amavubi Coach Richard Tardy. “We have agreed on the salary and what is remaining is allowances, bonuses and other things like whether we will pay his accommodation,” Niyonsabye said.