Katauti drops bombshell

AMAVUBI STARS’ skipper Hamad Ndikumana ‘Katauti’ is sceptical about Rwanda’s 2010 CAN chances after Saturday’s 1-0 loss to Egypt. Before departing for Cyprus yesterday, Ndikumana told Times Sport that qualifying for next year’s Africa Nations Cup is out of sight if some things are not rectified in the team. “I believe we need to change a number of things in the Amavubi set up. We were not comfortable in midfield and upfront. We didn’t fully utilise some of the chances we had on Saturday and I also felt we were lacking mentally.“At this level, we need experienced players,” Ndikumana said. “We have to keep our fingers crossed and hope that we can win our remaining matches which are also tricky.” Ndikumana and his teammates missed out on a winning bonus of $5000(Rwf. 2.8 million) which had been staked by the Rwandan government. Saturday’s defeat was the last nail in the coffin for Amavubi who started the game with a mathematical chance of qualifying for next year’s World Cup in South Africa. Skipper Ahmed Hassan, who replaced injured playmaker Mohamed Abou-Treika in the starting line-up, notched home from close range on 68 minutes to give the Pharaohs a hard-fought victory. The win left Rwanda at the foot of Group C with a point from four matches. By press time, Egypt was level on points (seven) with leaders Algeria who played against Zambia in Blida yesterday. The five group winners will qualify for the World Cup in South Africa while the top three in each group advance to the Africa Cup of Nations in Angola. Ends

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Katauti drops bombshell