League side Sunrise FC are set to appoint the current technical director Jean-Marie Ntagwabira as the team’s head coach, Sunday Sport has learnt. The newly promoted side is currently under interim coach Thierry Nzunga, who was the assistant to Moussa Gatera who parted ways with the club three months ago. Former APR, Atraco and Rayon Sports coach, Ntagwabira, has been Sunrise’s technical director since July last year after serving his two-year ban for alleged involved in match-fixing. According to the Sunrise FC spokesperson, Mansoura Niyivuga, Ntagwabira will assume the role of head coach ahead of the start of the league second round on January 27 and will be assisted by Nzunga. “We have decided to abolish the position of technical director and switch Ntagwabira to be head coach. The current coach (Nzunga) will be his assistant,” Niyivuga said on Friday. “We have proposed to him and he has accepted. So what we are working on is to restructure his contract,” he continued. Niyivuga stated that the Eastern Province-based side still maintains its target of a top six finish this season and it will be included in Ntagwabira’s contract. “We want him to achieve our target to finish in the top six this season” Niyivuga highlighted. Former APR and Amavubi Stars midfielder, Ntagwabira, signed a two-year contract with the Rwamagana-based side in July last year as technical director. He has won five league titles—four with APR and one with now defunct Atraco FC in 2008. He was also Dujkovic Ratomir’s assistant in 2004 when Rwanda made its maiden appearance at the finals of the African Cup of Nations held in Tunisia. Current interim coach, Nzunga, has had a fair run since taking over from Gatera, registering 11 points out of possible 24, propelling the team to 8th position on the 14-team league table with 16 points after 13 rounds of matches. Sunrise will visit second-placed AS Kigali when the league on January 28.
