Can Rwanda do as Congo Brazzaville?

Two years ago, little fancied Congo Brazzaville took full home advantage to win the African U-20 Youth Championships, but the million francs question is, can Rwanda do the same when the next edition unfolds on Rwandan soil on January 18? The first time, a championship of this scale and status is being staged in the region. The more enthusiastic fan will urge that playing at home gives Rwanda, just any other host team the edge, which in my view is just a little added advantage yet when you look at it from a broader perspective, there virtually little to prove that we’re actually well equipped to meet the demands of winning such a big tournament. Fine we’re playing at home, so what? What else is there to make us able competitors against seasoned campaigners in these competitions like record five-time winners Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon and Egypt, Ivory Coast, South Africa? None the less, we can only take heart from the fact that, on top of being the hosts, Rwanda has been drawn in the easier of the two groups with our opponents in the group stage coming in form of Mali, Ghana and Cameroon. The other group (B), which to me is really the hardest, includes five-time winners Nigeria, Egypt, South Africa and Ivory Coast. On paper, Tomislav Obradovic’s side should beat Mali in the opening game to give themselves a good platform going into the next two battles against seasoned campaigners Cameroon and Ghana. Anything short of a win against a less glamorous Mali on January 18 would be the worst case scenario for the home team which is debuting in the continent’s second biggest championships involving national teams, after the senior Nations Cup, in which Rwanda has participated once. A good result for Tomislav’s boys in the opening game will put them in the best possible position to target just three more points in their next two games, which is enough for a place in the semifinals, either as group leaders or runners-up depending on the outcome from the other matches. But again, what guarantee is there that Rwanda shall actually beat Mali, or do you have any? I have seen false dawns coming down on our teams in the past especially at home, and I wouldn’t want to predict anything until the first game is out of the system. Once beaten, twice…. Last week’s disappointment with the U-17s remains fresh in very many Rwandans’ heads, especially the thousands who spared their precious time to go at Amahoro to support the youngsters. Michael Weiss’s boys did nothing but to let down the entire nation that was behind them as they were seeking to become the first Rwandan lot at that level to qualify for the continental championships scheduled for next year in Algeria. I could not believe how a well-motivated team playing at home in front of a full house inside Amahoro stadium and needing to win by just a single goal against a not-so-good Burkina Faso side, could only manage a scrappy 1-1 draw on top of enduring the pain of having to come from behind! Don’t forget that this was the result that Burkina Faso needed to qualify having won the first leg 2-1 in Ouagadougou a fortnight earlier. The more partisan fan will again urge that that was the U-17s, and with their age, you’d not expect a lot from them like some people have tried to make that a point for defence, well, who said age has anything to with how a team plays, manages to handle pressure or simply understand the meaning if winning when it matters most? And in any case, if age, like some people came out to defend the U-17s dismal performance, is such a big factor in determining how well a team plays, then why should we expect a team only three years older to win an African title?Umm, strange! That’s why I’d prefer to remain less optimistic on our chances of doing a Congo Brazzaville, and only wait to be surprised than sitting in my corner waiting for miracles to happen. To copy exactly what Brig. Gen. John Bosco Kazura, the local football federation president said during the draws ceremony said, this is Rwanda’s proudest moment as we stakes our claim in the development of African football, and one we should all take with two hands. Such moments don’t along too often, do they? Feller not as bad, or is he? From the day he took charge of his first training session as APR coach, Rene Feller has not been a favourite of the majority of the club faithful including some administrators, and the situation is not about to change, not even when he beats Atraco twice in a row 4-0 and 3-1. He may not have won neither the league last year because it was (won) by the best team throughout the season (read Atraco Fc) nor the regional club championship but he at least steered the club to a deserved MTN Peace Cup, so he isn’t as bad as his critics wants everyone to believe. We all know the type of players he possesses, most of them very average to say the least while others aren’t up to the mark, yet the vastly experienced Dutchman has tried the best he could under the circumstances to have them playing some good stuff, though we’ve only seen it in patches. If only they were putting in shifts like they did in the second half against Atraco in midweek more consistently, believe you me, very few would have any complaints with him (Feller). Even the pathetic nature of the grounds they play on can’t just allow to. Feller did what no other rival coach had done before, and that’s to beat a Jean Marie Ntagwabira coached side 4-0 in the final of last year’s Peace Cup. This season, although he did not have the best start for an APR team, much to the displeasure of the club faithful, the 65-year-old has managed to stead the ship, and going into today’s games on match-day eight, the military side are top of the league table on 17 points, two ahead of the champions Atraco, and a further four better than Rayon Sports in third spot after seven matches. Wednesday’s 3-1 success over Atraco proved that Feller, much as he’s disliked by the majority of APR fans for whatever reason, is a far better tactician than most of us think of him. Unlike his counterpart of Atraco (Sam Timbe), Feller’s substitutions, especially one of Djabil Mutarambirwa were indeed a true sign of a man who has an idea of what he’s doing, and given time and liberty to run the rule over the team, can turn out to be a far better coach than his doom-mongers wish. Contact: nku78@yahoo.com