Where are Rwanda's home grown coaches?

On Wednesday, Nigeria announced Sunday Oliseh as the new national football team manager. This was a bold move by any means. Oliseh has a lot to show as a former great footballer, but almost nothing to support his ascension as coach for one of the powerhouses of African football. As I watched his unveiling on TV, I began to wonder about Rwanda’s past, present and future. Where are Rwanda’s Olisehs? Where are they hiding? We have had legendary players representing us in different tournaments, but as soon as age catches up and they retire, their lights simply fade away. No one writes about them or talks about them. They become so ordinary that you wouldn’t recognize them if you met them on an empty street. I won’t dwell on all legends today. My focus will be on the famous “God of Goals” – Jimmy Gatete. Just like Nigeria has done with Oliseh, shouldn’t Gatete be in the offing for something great, or did his services to Rwanda’s football end when he retired? In October last year, Gatete gained a coaching license from Koblenz, Germany, which in a way puts him in a good position to begin a good managerial career. But since then, he has been sort of out of the news – but for a second, just imagine how excited Rwandan football enthusiasts would be – if they heard that the person they baptized “God of Goals” was going to become the Amavubi manager. Personally I’d be ecstatic. I know it takes a lot of faith and courage to hire someone who has practically no experience at managing national teams, but hey, it’s not like we are performing any wonders with expensive foreign coaches. For decades, the Federation of Rwanda Association (FERWAFA) has been renowned for using the same approach over and again while expecting different results. We clearly need a new approach, and if it means to hire local lads for the biggest job, then let’s take the chance. I don’t know what it will take for FERWAFA to realize that foreign coaches only exploit us for their own career growth; like we witnessed with Stephen Constantine, who literally tore his contract to pieces and left for what is presumed a better job in India. We need to get rid of mercenaries, and the only way we can do this is by placing strong faith in local coaches. Sunday Oliseh only has a certificate. He hasn’t coached any club or country before; and yet there he is - managing the mighty Super Eagles. This is despite the fact that Nigeria has the potential to attract A-class managers all over the world. Looking at the current Amavubi coach, Johnny McKinstry, it’s not like he has a train load of experience to make him any better than Eric Nshimiyimana or any other Rwandan coaching a local team. Before embarking on an adventure in Rwanda, the Northern Irish manager was appointed as caretaker of the Sierra Leone football Team in April 2013, but only a year into the job, he was sacked. He was immediately swooped by Rwanda and confirmed as the Amavubi head coach in March 2015. I don’t want to take away anything from Mckinstry as a gentleman; but as a coach, FERWAFA gambled on him. All that I ask for now is that FERWAFA places this same kind of faith on local heroes like Gatete, Olivier Karerkezi and many others who have the potential and desire to meet the challenge. This of course does not guarantee immediate success, but it will certainly make many of us proud, and in the long run, who knows? Their patriotism and national pride could lead us to the promised lands of AFCON and World Cup. mugishaivan@yahoo.com

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Where are Rwanda's home grown coaches?