Gicumbi FC secretary general, Antoine Dukuzumuremyi, has said that the team has started training ahead of the upcoming play-offs for a ticket to Azam Rwanda Premier League.

Following the decision of Intare FC to stay in the second division league on August 30, Rwanda Football Association (Ferwafa) is organising a four-team competition for the vacant slot.

Last season’s second-tier league champions, Intare FC, had earned promotion to topflight league alongside AS Muhanga early July. On the other hand, Gicumbi were relegated from the topflight division along with Miroplast after finishing as the bottom two of the 2017-18 season’s league.

In the play-offs for the one spot to the 2018/2019 topflight league, Gicumbi and Miroplast will be joined by Pepiniere and Sorwathe in the contest. The venue and dates are yet to be determined.

Pepiniere and Sorwathe were knocked out by Intare and AS Muhanga in the semi-finals of the second division football league, in the chase for promotion to topflight league.

"This is a rare opportunity to stay in the topflight league, and we are going to fight with all we got to secure the slot. We know what went wrong last season and are ready to prove that we have fixed the loopholes,” said Dukuzumuremyi.

As a result of their withdrawal from Azam Rwanda Premier League, Intare will not be considered for promotion to the topflight league for the next two seasons.

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