Rwanda Football Association (Ferwafa) has agreed to lend money to Rayon sports so that they pay their former coach Raoul Shungu salary arrears totaling $18,943 (Rwf13m) including accumulated fines. Former Rayon Sport coach Raoul Shungu. (File) Rayon Sport Spokesperson Emmanuel Niyomusabye praised the football body for bailing out the club that risks Fifa penalties including relegation to the second division if they don’t clear the outstanding debt before 1st March. “It is true that Ferwafa will meet all the payments to Raoul Shungu and we pay back the money later. We found it the last option to borrow money to avoid Fifa punishing us,” Rayon spokesperson Niyomusabye told Times sport. The arrears accumulated during Shungu’s second stint at the club in 2008 when he agreed with club officials to use his own money to bring in players like Honore Kabongo, Bokota Labama, Jean Lomami and Jimmy Kidega. Shungu is also said to have used his own money to buy logistics like balls, nets and training kit. The Nyanza based side were facing financial problems at the time and agreed to pay back Shungu but never did so, failing to also pay one month’s salary to the former Amavubi coach. The Congolese coach was earning $2500 at the time. Shungu left Rayon Sports in May 2009 after falling out with his assistant Jean Baptiste Kayiranga and the club’s leadership. Kayiranga would later take over as head coach. In September 2009, Shungu wrote to Ferwafa asking for their intervention as Rayon Sports dragged their feet over payment of his money but the football governing body didn’t do much. He then took the matter to Fifa in 2011 and in 2012 Fifa wrote to Rayon Sports asking them to pay the money or risk severe punishment. Towards the end of last year, Fifa again warned Rayon Sports that if they fail to pay before march 1, then they will be relegated to the second division and pay double the money they owe Shungu. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
