The U20 national team head coach Richard Tardy wants the players to give their best in the upcoming Francophone Games, scheduled for September 6–17 in Nice, France. The Frenchman, who also doubles as the local football federation national technical director, says he plans to use the next two weeks in France to prepare his team in the best way possible in a bid to make a memorable first appearance in the games’ football competition. Tardy made history by guiding Rwanda to the FIFA U17 World Cup in Mexico in 2011. He is targeting to catch the eye of the numerous European scouts, who are expected to flock the tournament in big numbers. “We are going to play against big teams but we will do everything possible to show that we are capable of competing at the highest level and it will be a good opportunity for the players to show their capacity in-front of European scouts,” he told Times Sport before the team departed for Nice on Tuesday. Rwanda is scheduled to play friendly matches against Morocco U20 team on August 30 as well as amateur side Antibes before the tournament starts. Rwanda is in Group D along with the hosts France, Congo Brazzaville and Canada. The plan is to use the competition to prepare a solid team for the 2016 Olympic Games and CHAN finals which will be staged in Rwanda. Rwanda will also field competitors in other sports disciplines – such as athletics, swimming, boxing and cultural events.
