Jorge Manuel da Silva Paixão Santos, the newly appointed Rayon Sports head coach, is adamant that the league title is still wide despite his side trailing leaders APR by eight points halfway through the 2021/22 season.

Two-time reigning champions APR lead the chasing pack for the title with 34 points, five ahead of hopefuls SC Kiyovu. Rayon and AS Kigali complete the top four with 26 and 24 points, respectively.

Portuguese tactician Paixão Santos is, however, optimistic about challenging for the title.

"We have a good team, so we need to fight seriously and close the gap [to the top] when the league returns. Nothing is really decided, the race is still wide open and we are optimistic about our chances,” said Paixão.

The Blues begin their campaign in the league’s second-half against Mukura on Saturday.

Paixão was named Rayon Sports manager on February 2, replacing club legend Djuma Masudi who was fired last month.