The Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) and the Ministry of Defense are jointly investigating what may have caused the death of APR FC fitness coach Dr. Adel Zrane.
The Tunisian, 40, was found dead in his apartment in Nyarutarama, Gasabo District, on Tuesday, April 2, but the cause of his death remains unknown.
Adel was sharing an apartment with other coaches but neither of them knew that he had died, until his driver came to pick him for Tuesday morning training sessions at club’s training base in Shyorongi only to realize that he was dead in his room.
Club spokesperson Tony Kabanda said that Dr. Adel was in good health the last time he saw him, precisely after Sunday’s league match against Muhazi United.
"His driver came to Dr. Adel’s apartment to pick him up for the morning training session. But, when he arrived, he did not answer his phone calls on multiple times,” Kabanda told Times Sport.
Kabanda said that the driver asked the apartment manager if he had seen him leave with other coaches that morning but the latter stated that he hadn't seen him.
They decided to break into the coach’s room only to find him dead. The driver notified the club management about the situation, and the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) was subsequently contacted to begin their investigation.
"The APR FC management supported by the Ministry of Defense are working with Rwanda Investigation Bureau to establish what may have caused the death,” the club said in a statement on Wednesday.
RIB was contacted on multiple occasions about the new developments of the investigation but Times Sport could not get feedback in time.
Dr. Adel’s sudden death has triggered the postponement of Friday’s Primus National League clash between APR FC and AS Kigali.
The match has been rescheduled to April 15 after the military side requested the game to be moved to a later date for players and staff to mourn their coach.
In the meantime, Kabanda said that the club is working closely with Rwanda FA, the Ministry of Sports, and other relevant authorities to support Dr. Adel's family to repatriate his body to Tunisia for burial.
""We are waiting for his wife in Tunisia and his brother in France to arrive so we can work on the repatriation of his body. Once they are here, we will seek their approval for an autopsy to determine the cause of death," Kabanda said.
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Dr. Adel Zrane enjoyed a successful spell in Tanzania, helping Simba SC to win multiple trophies in the Tanzanian Premier League (TPL), Community Shield, and League Cup across three seasons.
He worked with renowned Belgian coaches Patrick Aussems and Sven Vandenbroeck and subsequently, alongside former Rayon Sports coach Didier Gomez Da Rosa.
The Tunisian also coached Etoile Sportif du Sahel in Tunisia, Al Ain in Saudi Arabia, Al-Wehdat Sportif Club in Jordan, and Mauritanian, leading them to the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.
The coach joined APR on July 2023.