Rayon coach urges club to address financial woes

Today Rayon Sports vs Espoir 3:30pmSC Kiyovu vs AS Muhanga Rayon Sports interim Coach Djuma Masudi has urged the management of the club to address the financial woes which are crippling the club. The Blues lie in fourth position in the 16-team table standing at 25 points, seven points behind leaders Mukura Victory Sports albeit with three games in hand. However, Masudi, a former Rayon Sports captain and striker, says his bosses should give him assurance that they are committed to solve the problem, which has been the club’s Achilles heel over the years. “I have told my bosses to solve the problems related to money and everything will be perfect. We have a pretty good team that can beat anyone on any given day, but every time we have problems of money,” Masudi said in an exclusive interview on Thursday. The former Burundi international added, “We need to have the mentality of a winning team on and off the field, which means we all need to pull in the same direction. While the team tries their best to win matches on the field, the club must also do the same when it comes to money issues.” “You can have the best players, but if they are not happy, then the team risks losing more than it wins, I hope the management looks into solving the money problems once and for all, but we have talked and I believe things will change soon for the good of Rayon Sports,” he stated. According to reports, Rayon Sports have spent three months without paying players’ salaries, and recently lost head coach Ivan Jacky Minnaert, who cut short his three-year contract after just four months, to join Kenyan Premier League side, AFC Leopards. When contacted, Rayon Sports’ secretary general Olivier Gakwaya said they are doing everything possible to clear the unpaid salaries for players and other staff. “It was true we didn’t pay salaries for December, January and February on time because we have some challenges with money, but we’ve cleared two months and remaining with one. We are working hard to pay all the money as soon as possible,” Gakwaya said. Regarding Masudi’s position, Gakwaya said they are not in a rush to appoint a new permanent coach. He said, “We have to wait and see how the team performs under him and after the first round we will sit and see what to do.” editorial@newtimes.co.rw