Bakame back to training ahead of APR tie
Thursday, June 14, 2018
Rayon Sports goalkeeper Eric Ndayishimiye was suspended by his own team lat Saturday. / Sam Ngendahimana

Rayon Sports have called back their captain Eric ‘Bakame’ Ndayishimiye to first team training just four days after suspending him for allegedly conspiring against the team to lose in order to get rid of former head coach – Ivan Minneart.

The celebrated goalie returns to training two days before the defending champions face table leaders, APR, on Friday at Amahoro Stadium in what guarantees to be a much heated affair.

The 30-year old trained with the team on Wednesday after the team management overturned the suspension. Instead, Belgian Minneart and his assistant coaches; Jeannot Witakenge and Marcel Lomami were suspended until further notice.

Times Sport has learned that the club is considering firing the trio and has already started looking for replacements. Interim Amavubi coach Vincent Mashami and former coach Djuma Masudi Irambona are among the prospects for the head coach job.

The club management made the decision to suspend skipper last Saturday after finding out that he had feigned an injury to miss the league match against Musanze FC the previous day.  The game ended in a goalless draw at Ubworoherane Stadium.

"I am very happy to back in training. I am ready to give my best and do all I can to help my team beat APR. I know we have faced some difficulties lately but the Rayon Sports spirit remains unshaken,” Ndayishimiye told Times Sport yesterday.

While commenting on his suspension, the former APR goalkeeper said, "It sometime happens that you work with people and at certain point, you don’t have a common understanding. But the most important thing is how you resolve the hitch and surge forward.”

Until the Blues appoint a new coach, the team is under the tutelage of physical trainer Corneille Hakizimana and goalkeepers’ coach Ramadhan Nkuzingoma.

With five match rounds to the end of the 2017/2018 league, Rayon Sports are in third place with 45 points, six adrift of table leaders APR and second-placed AS Kigali who both have 51 points.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw