Charles Kakooza Nkuliza, alias KNC, on Saturday, January 27, announced decision to disband his team Gasogi United, citing what he terms as ‘corrupt refereeing.’
READ ALSO: KNC 'disbands' Gasogi United
It is a shock decision that sparked mixed reactions among various players in the local football world.
KNC said that his decision was not solely based on controversial events that unfolded during Gasogi United’s 1-0 loss to AS Kigali, but also on a series of unfair refereeing decisions that his club has gone through over the past seasons.
Amagaju president Paul Nshimyumuremyi is one of the people who don’t support KNC’s decision to disband his team, suggesting that dissolving a team wouldn’t be the best solution although ‘ unfair refereeing’ has become a normal trend in Rwandan football.
"The 'bad refereeing' that KNC mentioned can’t be an excuse enough to disband the team. His team is not the only victim. Most teams, especially small ones, face that challenge. We all face these poor refereeing decisions, but disbanding a team is not the right solution,” Nshimyumuremyi told Times Sport.
"Our football has a lot of problems. If everyone quits because of one or two issues, then we won't have football here.Problems exist, but that's where our role as club leaders come in."
"Now we have the Rwanda Premier League Board responsible for our league. If it was just about refereeing, he should have consulted the board and discussed together to find a solution. It's an issue that affects most of us, and if everyone quits, the issue will persist. It's up to us to face it and suggest the way forward," he added.
Nshimyumuremyi disagrees with KNC’s ‘unfair officiating’ claims during Gasogi’s 1-0 loss to AS Kigali at Kigali Pele Stadium on Saturday, January 27.
"Personally, I was at the stadium during the Gasogi vs AS Kigali match and honestly, I didn't see any unfair refereeing decisions going against his team.
If the decision was made due to unfair officiating, then maybe he could have left one or two years ago because we have witnessed other games where Gasogi was clearly robbed,” he said.
Going forward, Nshimyumuremyi admits that corruption is among the problems running Rwandan football. He said that KNC shouldn’t act to be a victim of corruption yet he was among football leaders who were linked to match fixing in the past.
"Even he himself cannot deny that he was never involved in any of those ssues... I'm not accusing him, but we all remember the games he was accused of being involved in match fixing,’' he said.
On the other hand, local sports journalist Jean Luc Imfurayacu welcomed KNC's decision to dissolve his, insisting that it was based on the long-standing leadership problems in Rwandan football.
"Disbanding a team is a big decision, but as someone who invests his own money, I can understand his choice", Imfurayacu said.
"It has become normal that coaches or club officials raise cases of unfair refereeing after almost every match day but the FA does nothing. We always see this but we have never seen anyone charged for either unfair officiating nor see a coach or club official fined for baseless accusations.”
Imfurayacu described Gasogi’s disbanding, just in case KNC stands on his decision, as an alarm for everyone involved, stating, "If nothing is done, no investor will ever put their money into this 'disgraceful’ football."
Not good at all!
KNC is considering dissolving Gasogi United by the time its fanbase has been growing season in season out.
The decision didn’t go well with the club supporters and those who don’t support the team.
"I don’t support Gasogi but dissolving it would be a big blow and, of course, shame on those who are in charge of Rwandan football,” said Assia Nyirahabimana.
KNC said he is meeting the players and staff on Tuesday, January 30, to inform them about his final decision so "those who want to go home can go and those who want to join new clubs they can go as well.”
Should he stand on the decision, Gasogi’s withdrawal from local competition will affect the fixture schedules in a way or another.