Amavubi captain Haruna Niyonzima has slammed critics who have been calling for his retirement from international football.

Faultfinders called for the former Rayon Sports and APR midfielder to call time on his international football following his under-par performance during Rwanda’s first-leg clash against Guinea last Friday in Conakry, in the ongoing qualifiers of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals.

Amavubi lost the game 2-0 before both sides played out a 1-all draw in the return-leg on Tuesday at Kigali Stadium. Niyonzima was an unused substitute in that match.

"I have no plans to resign from the national team, "Niyonzima resentfully replied before noting that "I still have time to play for Amavubi. Some people want me to resign from the national team but I still have years to play both at the national team and at the club level.”

Some fans claim that Niyonzima is totally out of form and should not have been summoned for national duty, especially since he is not a regular in the starting line-up at Tanzania’s Simba SC.

Niyonzima, 28, is the national team captain since August 2013 when Amavubi legend Olivier Karekezi retired from international football.

The playmaker, who started his career with Etincelles, also previously played for Rayon Sports, APR and Tanzania giants Young Africans. He joined their Simba SC last year.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw