(CHAN RWANDA 2016: 178 DAYS TO GO) Players going pro, a big blow to CHAN prospects

Under normal circumstances, it’s good news when Rwandan players sign for foreign clubs but the same can’t be said at this moment when Amavubi is preparing for CHAN 2016 finals tournament on home soil from January 16 to February 7. It’s a standard that the Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) is exclusively for players featuring in their respective domestic championships, which gives countries with stronger national league higher chances of winning the tournament. Of course, having a strong domestic league is no guarantee to win CHAN but at least, the national team coach has a larger pool of players to choose from and he can only have himself to blame for not getting the best out of them. Therefore, in the case of Rwanda national team coach Jonny McKinstry, his options are becoming fewer when he sees the likes of Jean Baptiste Mugiraneza (APR to Azam of Tanzania), Abouba Sibomana (Rayon Sports to Gor Mahia of Kenya) and Emery Bayisenge (APR to Lask Linz FC in Austria) signing for foreign club in recent weeks. As hosts, Rwandans would be excused for hoping that their team can go as far in the competition as possible but that can only be attainable with a stronger team. However, with recent departures of key players to foreign clubs, McKinstry will be handicapped in his search for success with an ‘inferior’ squad. Two of three past winners, DR Congo (2009) and Tunisia (2011) have very competitive domestic leagues as evidenced by the good performances of their clubs in CAF competitions while reigning champions, Libya can be looked at as an exception. editorial@newtimes.co.rw