Micho named new Amavubi coach

THE Rwanda Football Federation (Ferwafa) yesterday named Sredojevic Milutin Micho as the new coach of the national team. The confirmation was made moments before the Serbian took Amavubi through their first training session ahead of next month’s two-legged 2014 Fifa World Cup qualifier against Eritrea. The 42-year-old replaces Sellas Tetteh who threw in the towel after a 5-0 thrashing by Ivory Coast in a 2012 Africa Nations Cup qualifier. Several other big names had been shortlisted for the job, including former Mali and Togo coach Stephen Keshi, Patrice Neveu of France, Branko Smiljanic and Ratomir Djukovic, who guided Rwanda to their first and only Nations Cup finals, back in 2004. Micho, who has been given the task of qualifying the wasps to the 2013 Nations Cup and the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, will work closely with Eric Nshimiyimana and Rayon Sport’s Jean Marie Ntagwabira. Ibrahim Mugisha will work with Amavubi’s goalkeepers. Rwanda needs to beat Eritrea to claim the final Group H slot. Algeria, Mali and Benin are the other teams in the group. After being named coach, he said, “I believe in the potential of this team and have no doubt that with the help of all stakeholders, Rwandan football will reach the next level.” After the Eritrea qualifiers, Micho will lead his team in the Cecafa Challenge Cup slated to run from November 24-December 10 in Dar es Salaam. Besides coaching SC Villa and St. George, Micho had a brief stint with South Africa’s Orlando Pirates before joining Sudan’s Al Hilal early this year. He went on to guide the Sudanese side to the semi-final of the Orange Confederation Cup where they finally lost to CS Sfaxien of Tunisia in penalties. Ends

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Micho named new Amavubi coach