MINISPOC refutes claims it sacked McKinstry illegally

The Ministry of Sports and Culture (MINISPOC) has refuted claims that the recent sacking of the national team head coach Johnny McKinstry was done without following the law. The ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Lt. Col. Patrice Rugambwa said that the decision fully complied with the terms of the contract. In an interview with Saturday Sport on Friday, Rugambwa insisted that prior to the sacking, McKinstry was notified before an official communiqué was issued. “In his contract, there was a clause which states that he would lose his job anytime the team’s performance is not satisfactory, and when you see where he found the team and where it is now, it was enough to cancel the contract,” said Rugambwa. The 30-year old Irishman was sacked on Thursday last week, only four months into his new two-year contract that would see him in charge of Amavubi until 2018. Following his sacking, McKinstry released a statement crying foul over the nature in which he was sacked claiming he first heard news about his sacking in the media. In the statement he further said the specific reasons behind the decision to sack him were not made fully clear to him. According to Rugambwa, McKinstry, who still had had 20 months remaining on his contract, will be compensated only one month as stipulated in the contract. It is reported that the former Sierra Leone head coach was earning US$11,000 per month. “We are yet to give him his one month compensation but of course we shall settle him as soon as possible after all, it not even two weeks since he lost his job,” said Rugambwa. When Saturday Sport contacted McKinstry, he said, “I have nothing to comment on that other than the statement that we put out last week.” His sacking has been mainly attributed to a double loss to Mauritius 1-0 in March, as well as 3-2 loss to Mozambique in June which resulted in the decline in the FIFA/Coca-Cola rankings, where Rwanda is ranked a lowly 121st in the latest ranking released earlier this month. McKinstry took over when Amavubi was ranked 68th globally under Englishman Stephen Constantine, the country’s highest ever ranking. editorial@newtimes.co.rw