Amavubi to use Commemoration Cup for Afcon 2017 preps

Rwanda national football team head coach Johnny McKinstry has said that the Amavubi will use the upcoming Commemoration Cup slated for June 6-7 as preparations for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers that commence on the weekend of June 13-14. The inaugural two-day tournament organized in commemoration of the people who lost their lives during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi has attracted Kenya, Tanzania and South Sudan with semi-finals scheduled for Saturday and the third-place playoff and final set to be played on Sunday at Amahoro Stadium. “Ultimately, the three teams present a good level of competition. Actually I know that South Sudan just brought in six Australian-Sudanese and will have their strongest side in quite some time. As for Kenya, their recent U-23 side lost to Botswana in Gaborone but showed character in the return leg when they won 4-1 at home but were eliminated on the away goals rule. They will have some of those players on the senior side,” explained the Irish tactician who has just returned from Europe where he was persuing his UEFA pro licence. McKinstry who has been working with the U-23 side in the past month during the CAF U-23 Championship/Rio 2016 Olympic qualifiers is keen on maintaining his football philosophy that he hopes the senior team can embrace in the build-up to a busy footballing period. “I have recently spent a lot of time working with the U-23 side and they are very familiar with the team shape. Three or four players will surely be a part of the starting XI so it is a good opportunity to get the senior players to fit into our training programmes. It is more important to get the team shape right,” mentioned the optimistic McKinstry. Meanwhile, in a bid to bring an end to the goal-drought in the national side, McKinstry has named French-based Elias Uzamukunda (AS Andrezieux) in the provisional squad that also has locally based forwards like the AS Kigali pair of Isaie Songa and Ernest Sugira. The 29-year-old tactician believes bringing in more experienced players will help create more attacking options and become lethal in the final third but he cautioned that they should be able to “learn very fast”. He further added that the new players on the squad will have an opportunity to impress, “We have some extra days to prepare for the Mozambique game so we shall really try and achieve the desired team shape.” Rwanda was pooled with Ghana, Mozambique and Mauritius in Group H in the 2017 AFCON qualifiers. Rwanda last qualified for the continental showpiece in 2004 in Tunisia.

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Amavubi to use Commemoration Cup for Afcon 2017 preps