AS Kigali win X-mas Cup, coach calls for more tourneys

Saturday Final AS Kigali 1-1 Mukura (pen 5-4) Third place playoff SC Kiyovu 1-1 Rayon Sports (pen 5-4) After winning the inaugural Rayon Sports-StarTimes Christmas Cup, AS Kigali coach Eric Nshimiyimana has called for more competitions which he says will raise the level of homegrown players. AS Kigali won the Cup after beating Mukura Victory Sports 5-4 on penalty shoot-outs in the final played at Mumena stadium in Nyamirambo on Saturday. Ally Niyonzima opened the scoring for Mukura from the spot while Jean Pierre Akili Mabula equalised for the City of Kigali-sponsored AS Kigali, both goals came in the first half. Nshimiyimana, whose team lead the national football league table standing after nine rounds of matches, said after the match that clubs need more tournaments which would help to raise the level of the local players. “I am thankful for this tournament, not because we have won it but because it has been competitive and enjoyable, so if we have more competitions like this one, we can have better players and stronger teams,” he said. The former Rwanda international added that, “We have to play against big teams from Tanzania, Uganda, DRC and others more often, it will help our clubs to improve in terms of competitiveness.” Mukura coach Godfrey Okoko said he was disappointed but admitted the tournament provided good competition for him as he continues to prepare for the league, which is due to return to action at the weekend after a month-long break. He said, “We need to give serious consideration to this competition because we can gain a lot from playing against big teams—the only way to play against them is to bring them here so that we can give our players more competition.” The battle for third place, SC Kiyovu beat tournament organisers Rayon Sports 5-4, also on post-match in penalties, after both sides drew 1-1 in normal time. The champions, AS Kigali, walked away with Rwf5m in addition to the trophy, while Mukura received Rwf2.5 and SC Kiyovu Rwf1.5m. The competition started on November 25 and attracted eight teams, including Rayon Sports, SC Kiyovu, Gicumbi FC and SC Villa of Uganda in Group A, while Group B had AS Kigali, Mukura VC, Police FC and Bukavu Dawa (DR Congo). In semi-finals, Mukura eliminated Rayon Sports 1-0 while AS Kigali beat SC Kiyovu 1-0 to book their place in the final. editorial@newtimes.co.rw