Vincent Mashami is now history in the national team after his contract as head coach was not renewed at the end of February. Rwanda Football Association (Ferwafa) have launched the search for a replacement. The new gaffer would probably start the job with the qualifiers for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals, a tournament Rwanda has not been to since 2004. According to Henry Muhire, Ferwafa’s Secretary General, the search is already on and soon a new head coach will be named though he declined to give any clue as to who could get the job. A new wave is sweeping across the whole of Africa following Senegals triumphant campaign at the 2021 AFCON where former skipper of the Teranga Lions, Aliou Cissé, guided them to their first ever continental silverware. He joined the likes of Charles Kumi Gyamfi of Ghana, Hassan Shehaata of Egypt, Yeo Martial of Côte dIvoire, Stephen Keshi of Nigeria, and Djamel Belmadi of Algeria as the few local coaches to lift the glittering trophy for their nations. Following the exploits of Cissé, the football powerhouses on the continent are changing their tune to appoint home coaches, in hope that with the right working atmosphere and motivation, they, too, can deliver success. Ghana has followed suit by naming Otto Addo to take charge of the Black Stars for the impending World Cup playoff against Nigeria whereas Cameroon have also named former skipper Rigobert Song as their new manager. Nigeria is still with Augustine Eguavoen and several other nations across the length and breadth of Africa have plans of sticking to their own rather than going for expatriates. Will Rwanda still go in for a local coach or try an expatriate? This seems to be a multimillion dollar question. Ferwafa is on the right move as they begin to involve Former Amavubi Players Association (FAPA). A first meeting between the two parties was held last week concerning the way forward for Rwanda football, particularly the national team – Amavubi. In this issue, Weekend Sport’s Edmund Okai Gyimah takes a look at potential coaches who could possibly secure the Amavubi job. Andre Casa Mbungo He is currently free after parting ways with Kenyan Premier League side Bandari FC earlier this month on mutual agreement. Mbungo has already handled big teams including AFC Leopards and could comfortably fit the bill as the head coach of the Amavubi. With the right resources, including a good technical team and good plan, he could bring the Amavubi glory days back. Olivier Karekezi Karekezi is a legend of the game in Rwanda and is among the best footballers the country has ever produced. He commands a lot of respect because of what he did for the Amavubi. With other African countries now turning to their legends to get the job done, Rwanda could get Karekezi to steer the affairs of the national team. He previously handled Rayon Sports from July 2017 to February 2018 where he guided the Blues to three titles – including the Super Cup. His last job was with SC Kiyovu where he was relieved of his duties in May 2021. Eric Nshimiyimana He has already had two stints with the national team (2009-2010) and (2013-2014) though the first one was on an interim basis. Nshimiyimana could get the job for the third time based on his experience at high level. He has also coached SC Kiyovu and AS Kigali and was on the verge of building a winsome team for the latter before being sacked for losing 2-1 to Rayon though he had walloped Kiyovu 4-0 earlier on. Bringing in an expatriate Rwandas biggest achievement at senior national team level was to qualify for the 2004 AFCON in Tunisia, which was executed by Serbian tactician Ratomir Dujkovic who later took Ghana to the last 16 round of the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Undoubtedly, coaches from Eastern Europe, particularly Serbia, have found great success on the African continent over the years and Rwanda may be tempted to try another Serbian. Moroccan tactician Mohammed Adil Erradi is also a possibility. He has handled Rwandan champions APR for three years and leading the national team would be an easy transition as he is well acquainted with local football and the players.
