The U-17 national team head coach Michael Weiss is confident Rwanda will conquer the continental and world finals of the 2011 youth championship campaign. The German born Coach told Times Sport early this week that Rwanda has enough potential to enable the under-17 reach either the 2011 Africa or World youth championship finals despite the recent failure to secure the final qualification spot to next year’s continental youth championship due in Algeria in 2009. Rwanda’s failure to secure the last qualifying spot was partly blamed on the players who were overconfident and overambitious against their rivals Burkina Faso. “With only eight months in charge of the U-17 team, I managed to spot many local talents but I believe many more talents would be identified ahead of the 2011 campaign.” “With the support of the government, it’s high time to reach the top and be among the major football powerhouses in Africa.” “Rwanda is among the best sixteen countries dominating the youth football on the continent so far and without any doubt we can still make it to the top,” Weiss said. As the saying goes by ‘no big victory without heavy defeats’ which literally means that if you don’t feel the pain, you can’t become a winner, Weiss said that they have to look forward, analyze every player’s role in this campaign and acknowledge for whatever they managed to acquire. “The U-17 national team is better than Morocco, Egypt and other big countries considering where they managed to reach.” Weiss added that the youngsters will need international exposure to improve on their playing skills as well as obtain their ambition. “We have to cock with every thing to make the dream come true for Rwanda’s football standards,” The German whose contract expires in March, next year said. Rwanda was held one-all by Burkina Faso with the latter going through 3-2 on aggregate after Rwanda’s strikers wasted plenty of goat-killing chances. APR striker Ernest Kwizera, who scored Rwanda’s lone goal in the 1-2 loss first leg also found the net in the 1-all draw return leg before wasting many more goal scoring opportunities. Ends
