The national football team players and coaching staff will get huge bonuses after Rwanda’s impressive performance at the 2020 CHAN tournament in Cameroon according to Guy Didier Rurangayire, the Director of Sports in the Ministry of Sports.
Rurangayire said this during a press conference held at the Ministry of Sports offices at Amahoro Stadium, but refused to reveal the exact amount of money that the Rwandan delegation will get. He however acknowledged that it is the first time that players will receive such big bonuses.
"I cannot reveal how much money each player, coach or support staff got because we are not obliged to reveal such information. However the players are free to say how much they will get. But it is the first time, players in the national team will get such a bonus,” Rurangayire said.
However sources have revealed that Amavubi players will each pocket Rwf10m which includes a special bonus from President Paul Kagame that he promised to the players recently.
The first payment will come from the Ministry of Sports which is Rwf5m while it is reported that the President will give the same amount of money to the players.
The bonus is in appreciation of the players’ performance in the elite tournament when they reached the quarterfinal without good preparation which was largely caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mashami not automatic choice to continue as coach
Meanwhile, Rurangayire said there is no guarantee that Coach Vincent Mashami will continue to be Amavubi coach.
"We will meet soon to evaluate his performance and decide on a way forward. It is not a guarantee that he will stay as Amavubi coach. Part of his contract included guiding the team to the African cup of nations and that has not been determined yet,” he added.
Mashami was given the Amavubi job in August 2018 to replace Antoine Hey. He initially signed a deal of 18 months which was extended for a year in February 2020.
The contract runs out on Thursday, February 11.
Mashami is the first Rwandan coach to lead the national football team to a quarterfinal of a major tournament. The last time Amavubi reached the quarterfinal of the CHAN tournament was in 2016 when the country hosted the competition with Johnny Mckinstry as head coach.