AS Kigali players have agreed to a 50 percent pay cut until training resumes as the club tries to deal with the financial impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The development was confirmed to Times Sport by Francis Gasana, the club’s Secretary General.

The three-time Peace Cup winners are one of the few clubs that had not suspended players’ salaries or requested them to take a pay cut during the enforced break of the Rwanda Premier League – in March – that culminated into the premature end of the season in May.

Obviously, Gasana says, the biggest expense that the club faces is salaries of the first team players. The pay cut will help the club and its non-playing employees.

"We have reached an agreement with players and technical staff for the [50 percent] pay cut because they have been out of action – no training of matches – since March. We will pay them their full salaries and bonuses when full training resumes,” he said.

He added: "The financial predicament caused by the pandemic also hit us, we are looking into ways of dealing with its impact on the life of the club and our survival post-Coronavirus.”

Gasana also acknowledged that the Covid-19 pandemic is not only a devastating public health crisis; it will have lasting repercussions on domestic football.

It is expected that outdoor training for contact sports will resume in August, whilst most non-contact sports were cleared to restart last month.

Kodo replaced

Meanwhile, AS Kigali have also announced that they have appointed Corneille Hakizimana as the club’s second assistant coach, replacing Ismael ‘Kodo’ Nshutinamagara who left the job without notice.

This publication understands that, before the Covid-19 worsened in March and international travel was restricted, the former APR skipper traveled to and has now settled in Canada.

"We wrote to him asking about his absence and if he intended to come back, but he never responded. We took it as leaving his job without notice and appointed a replacement,” says Gasana.

"Corneille [Hakizimana] is our new fitness coach.”

Hakizimana previously worked with Rayon Sports in the same position.