Amavubi Stars to face Burkina Faso in friendly

Rwanda national football team, Amavubi Stars, will play an international friendly against Burkina Faso during the team’s forthcoming training camp in Morocco scheduled for October 4-17. This was confirmed by the Rwanda Football Federation (FERWAFA) president, Vincent Nzamwita. Jonathan McKinstry’s team will have a two-week training camp in Morocco in preparation for the 2018 World Cup qualifier against Libya in November as well as the 2016 African Nations Championship (CHAN) finals tournament that will be held in Rwanda from January 16-February 7 next year. Nzamwita said, “We have negotiated with our Burkina Faso counterparts about playing a friendly but we have not yet set the dates. The dates will be decided once the team is in Morocco.” “Besides Burkina Faso, we would also want Amavubi to play against Tunisia and Morocco but we have not reached an agreement with both. They (Tunisia and Morocco) have a match during that time but we will try to arrange and see if we can have a game with either both or one of them before the team returns home.” A 23-man Amavubi squad including foreign-based players will leave Kigali immediately after the Azam Rwanda Premier League games next weekend. Nzamwita said that it will be a good opportunity for the players to build team spirit and morale. Amavubi are keen to register a positive result when they take on Libya in Tripoli before hosting them in Kigali. Both games will be played within the November 7-19 timeline. After the return game against Libya, Amavubi will compete in the CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup that will be staged in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from November 27 to December 12 before they return home to train ahead of the CHAN 2016. Last year, Amavubi were drawn against Libya in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers with both sides sharing the spoils in a goalless draw in Tunisia in the first leg. However, a 3-0 emphatic victory in Kigali in the return leg courtesy of a Dady Birori hat-trick saw the Amavubi eliminate the 2014 CHAN champions, who had been seen as favourites. Rwanda, under English coach Stephen Constantine, went on to eliminate Congo Brazzaville in the next round of qualifier, only for Rwanda to be disqualified by the AFCON 2015 Organizing Committee following an appeal by Congo over the eligibility of Birori, who was also registered as Tady Ekitiama by his DR Congo club, AS Vita Club.

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Amavubi Stars to face Burkina Faso in friendly