Relegation scare: Gicumbi FC coach warns players

Friday Rayon Sports vs SC Kiyovu 3:30pm Saturday AS Kigali vs Espoir FC 3:30pm Sunrise FC vs Musanze Kirehe FC vs Mukura VS Etincelles vs Amagaju FC Sunday Marines FC vs Police FC 3:30pm Pepiniere FC vs Gicumbi FC Bugesera vs APR FC Gicumbi Football Club head coach Hussein Baraka has warned his players that they must improve in the second half of the season if the team is to avoid relegation to the second division—the second round of the league will start on February 10. But with one match before the end of the first round, Gicumbi, who face bottom side Pepiniere FC this weekend, are second from bottom of the 16-team table standing with 8 points from 14 matches. The club has won two, drawn two and lost 10 games. “We have won just two matches all season, which is not good enough and we shall need to improve significantly in the second round or else we may not be here (first division) next season,” Barack admitted in an interview with Times Sport. The Tanzania-born tactician added, “We want to win more games in the second round and push for a higher position at the end of the season. Our confidence is a bit low because we’re not winning enough, and it’s something that we need to work on sooner rather than later. ” “Our priority is to stay in 1st division. We have had some problems financially but now at least we are hosting matches at home, so we need to take points from home matches. Playing at home, in-front of your supporters makes a big difference,” he noted. At the start of the season, Gicumbi FC played their ‘home’ matches at Mumena stadium in Nyamirambo because their home ground, Stade de Gicumbi had been barred from hosting league matches by Rwanda Football Federation (FERWAFA) because it did not meet the minimum standards. The club played the first match at their home ground against Mukura Victory Sports on match day 12, which they won 1-0 to record their second win of the season, after beating SC Kiyovu 4-1 on the match day 3. Former Amagavu FC coach Baraka added, “It is still a long season, so we must be ready to fight and now after getting back to our stadium, I am confident we are going to push to improve, the players know we’re not in a good position.” League Table Team PD W D L Pts APR FC 14 10 3 1 33 Rayon Sports 14 10 3 1 33 Police FC 14 8 3 3 28 AS Kigali 14 8 2 4 26 Bugesera 14 7 4 3 25 Espoir 14 6 7 1 25 Sunrise FC 14 4 6 4 18 SC Kiyovu 14 5 3 6 18 Musanze 14 5 3 6 18 Etincelles 14 5 2 7 17 Mukura 14 3 6 5 15 Amagaju 14 4 3 7 15 Marines 14 4 2 8 14 Kirehe FC 14 3 4 7 13 Gicumbi 14 2 2 10 8 Pepiniere 14 0 2 12 2 editorial@newtimes.co.rw