Former Amavubi Stars captain, Olivier Karekezi, has challenged local players to make better use of the home advantage in the 2016 Africa Nations Championships set for January 16 to February 7. Karekezi believes that the finals tournament will be an excellent opportunity for Rwandan players to put themselves on the market if they perform well. Speaking to Saturday Sport on Thursday, the ex-Rwanda international said, “In many matches, we are always the best team on the pitch, but we just need to improve on scoring goals.” He noted that the tournament is a chance for the young players to show their capacity because many international televisions will be broadcasting the games, and several agents will be in the country – it is a good opportunity for them to put themselves on the market. Karekezi noted that all the countries that host Africa’s second biggest international competition have potential to go all the way to the title, so Amavubi players should be determined and ready to give everything to win it on home soil. “In each game, the boys have to have the fighting spirit and they will grow stronger by each win they get as the tournament progresses. Anyone can tell that the boys are thirsty for winning. The aspiration should now be to win the title,” he said. And ex-international player said he was happy with the talent among the local players adding that it was encouraging to see how local players have been improving. The fourth edition of the continental showpiece, which only features players from their respective national championships, will be played at Amahoro stadium (capacity 30,000), Kigali Regional stadium, Stade Huye in Huye district, Southern Province and Umuganda stadium in Rubavu, Western Province.
