Rwanda lines up Togo friendly

RWANDA’S Amavubi Stars will play away to Togo on November 19 in a friendly match which is part of their build-up to the third and final round of the 2010 World/Africa Cup qualifiers. Rwanda is drawn alongside Algeria, Egypt and Zambia in Group C of the qualifiers while Togo is drawn against Morocco, Gabon and Cameroon in group A. The Ferwafa Chief Executive Officer Jules Kalisa told Times Sport yesterday that Togo’s football federation requested for the friendly game which the local football body, Ferwafa gladly agreed to. “They requested to play against our team and we agreed,” Kalisa said. Kalisa also added that Amavubi Stars will regroup on Monday, a few days before Tucak Blanko (head coach) returns. Togo’s interest in playing Rwanda spills from Morocco (Togo’s rival in group A) surprise 1-3 loss to Amavubi Stars in the second round qualifiers. Togo is a young footballing nation, and the Sparrow Hawks have only recently found their wings by qualifying for their first FIFA World Cup finals in 2006. They are expected to be like an open book for Cameroon coach Otto Pfister, who was their manager in 2006 despite the presence of an established star in the caliber of Arsenal’s Emmanuel Adebayor. On the other hand, Croatian coach Branko Tucak knows that his side is an underdog in group C and that while the chances of staging an upset are slim, they will be hoping for more upsets. Tucak is expected to call unto Rwanda’s Europe based professionals as he tries to assemble a strong squad. After failed attempts in the last two Nations Cup qualifiers, Rwanda have to finish inside the top three if they are to put an end to their miserable run. The Amavubi Stars open their campaign on March 28, 2009 at home against Algeria, travel to Zambia on June 6 before winding the first leg matches with a daunting away tie against Egypt on July 4 or 5. Ends

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Rwanda lines up Togo friendly