Football and fitness are her life’s calling

Last year, when a team from FIFA visited Rwanda and conducted a training workshop for football referees, little did Sandrine Usenga know that she would emerge from the training wearing the highly coveted FIFA badge.Sandrine Murangwa’s third name is “Usenga”, which in Kinyarwanda stands for “someone who prays”. Murangwa may be “some one who prays”, on account of her last name, but she is also some one that plays, on account of her professional calling.“As a child growing up in Nyamagabe, I saw that my parents liked to pray a lot, and everything they did was in appreciation of God’s grace upon our family, even though it was a poor family,” she says by way of explaining the name’s origins. Apart from the God-fearing and praying Sandrine is another Sandrine; the “playing” one.Sandrine is a Federation of International Football (FIFA) assistant referee, a position she was elevated to in 2012. Away from the football pitch, and for her regular employment, Murangwa works as a Fitness Instructor at the renowned Nyarutarama Tennis Club. She is only three months old on her current job, having relocated from the Umubano Hotel in Kacyiru in May, after a year’s stint in a similar position. Murangwa considers both jobs (that of fitness instructor, and that of FIFA assistant referee) as more of play than work. “It’s an entertaining job (fitness instructor) because it involves lots of music and dancing. I like music so much personally, and many of the people who I instruct are motivated by music to work out,” she quips. Murangwa loves her music so much that, when we sat down for this interview, she had her ear phones on, and occasionally slid off to scroll the playlist on her phone. “This kind of job keeps me fit and healthy”, she says with finality, adding; “From childhood I’m still fit and good.” Football and fitness had been passions she had harboured and exhibited since her early childhood. “I started sports as a child. I loved playing football and karate and gymnastics with boys”, she starts to reveal the Tom boy streak in her character. “I liked play and entertainment that was energetic, unlike most girl sports that looked lazy to me. The boys appreciated me more at gymnastics, because I was very fit and flexible.” Still, the Tom Boy character that defined her choice of friends and games comes to the fore when she reveals that on the whole, it is a lot more fun working with the guys than the ladies when in the gym. “Men are easy to handle because sometimes, he is interested in befriending you, so he will try to be at his best behaviour. Other men are challenged by the fact that the instructor is a young girl, so they put in more effort and seriousness.” The girls, on the other hand, she describes as “generally lazy at working out. They give up easily.”Football beckonsSo great had Sandrine’s love for sport grown that in 2009, she enrolled at the Kigali Institute of Education (KIE), to study Physical Sport and Education. “We were very few girls in the class (10), and we had a teacher who worked in FERWAFA (Federation of Rwanda Football Associations) and was so passionate about female football. This teacher took the ten of us for training organised by the federation, and five of us qualified.” Last year, a team from FIFA visited Rwanda and conducted a training workshop for football referees that lasted two years. She was one of the five girls and seventeen boys chosen for the camp. And little did she know that she would emerge from the training wearing the highly coveted FIFA badge. By virtue of this badge, Murangwa officiates at women’s international football matches across the world, while at home in Rwanda, she not only officiates at women’s football, but also in the 2nd Division men’s league. Last year, her dream to finally officiate at an international level came true when she was selected for the U-20 World Cup qualifiers in Kenya and Ethiopia. She is however quick to add that international assignments are “more stressful than the local ones because you know that you are carrying your country’s flag and must make your people proud.” But just how much does she love her football that Murangwa could bag such an honor at just 25 years of age? Her response is candid: “I love it (football), but not too much. If I were to love it as much as the fans, then I would get upset whenever one team loses. Otherwise, I like the game and since childhood, I’ve always visited stadiums to watch the beautiful game.”What team does she support locally? Her response is not quick in coming, so I ask her to name her favourite Premiership player or club: “I used to support Barcelona because of Ronaldinho and Samuel Et’o. When they left, my interest in the club reduced, although I still support.” Again, I press her to name her favourite local club. “The Blues”, she says after some hesitation, finally letting the cat out on her secret support for Rayon Sports FC. “Professionally, we’re not allowed to support a team because we are supposed to remain neutral. However, emotionally I’m with Rayon.”