Court adjourns hearing for officials in Bayern Munich academy recruitment controversy
Tuesday, November 14, 2023
Some of the 43 young football talents had been pre-selected to start with FC Bayern Munich Academy Rwanda. Some of them were later disqualified because of defrauding their identification documents.

The Kicukiro Primary Court, on Tuesday postponed the bail hearing for the suspects involved in the Bayern Munich academy recruitment controversy case.

The proceedings, initially scheduled for November 14, have been rescheduled to November 16.

The individuals at the center of the case are Leon Nisunzumuremyi, the football coach; Aristide Karorero, Kinyinya sector's data manager; and Marie Rose Rugendoruhire, the civil status registrar.

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The trio is facing charges related to solicitation, accepting illegal benefits, unauthorized access to a computer or computer system, unauthorized modification of computer or computer system data, and forgery.

During the November 14 hearing, the presiding judge decided to adjourn the proceedings after Nisunzumuremyi expressed unpreparedness, citing a lack of communication regarding the hearing to him and his legal representative.

The other suspects and the prosecution supported the decision for postponement, asserting Nisunzumuremyi's right to legal representation under the law.

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The suspects' arrest follows an investigation prompted by media reports suggesting unfair disqualification of some children from the Bayern Munich Academy Rwanda due to age-fixing.

On September 16, 43 football prospects were selected after a nationwide talent search conducted by Rwanda's football governing body (FERWAFA) and the Ministry of Sports. However, 20 of them were later disqualified when it was discovered that their birthdates had been manipulated with the assistance of their parents.

ALSO READ: Bayern Munich Academy Rwanda: 20 kids dismissed over age fixing

Nisunzumuremyi, the coach of Cedric Iranzi and Joshua Muberwa, two of the disqualified children, claimed in the media that they met the age criteria required to join the academy.

However, a thorough investigation by RIB revealed discrepancies, indicating that Iranzi and Muberwa were born in 2009 and 2007, respectively, contrary to the documents presented during the auditions, which indicated 2011 as their birth year.