Swiss-based forward Johan Marvin Kury has said he was so surprised the very moment he realized that Rwanda head coach Frank Spittler drafted him in his 38-man provisional squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against Benin in October. Kury, who currently plies his trade at Swiss top tier side Yverdon Sports FC, is already in the group preparing for the upcoming two fixtures against the Cheetahs. The team is training twice at Amahoro Stadium. ALSO READ: AFCON 2025 Qualifiers: Which are new faces in Spittler’s Amavubi squad? “My first reaction when I heard that I was called to Amavubi senior team? It was a shock and surprise because I didn’t expect to be called up,” Kury told the press. “I’m massively delighted to be part of Amavubi. To train with others is something good, just to have the training session with them all around and to be involved is a big step for me.” “It sounds good for sure and I am looking forward to representing my country. I think it’s a really good chance to show what I can do best,” he added. He may be looking forward to making his debut appearance against Benin but Kury is optimistic that his performance will undoubtedly push the coach to regularly open doors for him at future assignments. It’s the first foot on the ladder and I’ll take that because hopefully I’ll have many more to come. It was a bit of a shock to get the call but I always knew the manager has been looking at the youngsters and you never say never,” he said. Rwanda will visit Benin on October 11 at Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, before welcoming the same opponent to Amahoro Stadium in Kigali on October 15. Spittler could have handed Johan a callup during the September (Afcon) qualifiers but he missed out on the opportunity after suffering an injury that kept him on the sidelines for weeks. I now feel good, it’s my first time joining Amavubi,” he noted. Born in the Swiss city of La Chaix de Fonds to a Rwandan mother and a Swiss father on October 7, 2001, Kury started his professional career with the youth team of Xamax before joining BEJune U18 during the 2018/2019 season. Besides Kury, other players who were called up for the first time include Serge Kabanda of Gasogi United, Salim Abdallah of Musanze FC and Pacifique Ngabonziza of Musanze FC.
