Who is Rumanzi, the football coach seeking asylum in Europe?
Sunday, March 12, 2023
David Rumanzi, a former coach of Amavubi Under-13 years teams at Paris Saint Germain (PSG) academy Rwanda located in Huye District, Southern Province. Courtesy

Eric Twambajimana, a Nyarugenge intermediate Court judge, was arrested on Friday, March 10 over issuing Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) fake summon papers to a person seeking asylum in Europe arguing he was wanted by the investigation body for political reasons.

Times Sport has learned that the person in question is David Rumanzi, a former coach of Amavubi Under-13 years teams at Paris Saint Germain (PSG) academy Rwanda located in Huye District, Southern Province.

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Rumanzi fled the country in May 2022 when he, among other coaches, accompanied the boys' U-13 PSG Academy Rwanda team which was taking part in the annual competition of the PSG Academy World Cup for the first time.

On May 25, when the team flew back home after the tournament, the coach stayed in France and started to seek refuge.

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According to reports, Rumanzi after trying for a long time and failing to get documents that can help him to get asylum, he used his friend Twambajimana to help him get RIB summons papers so he could use them to seek asylum in a European country.

However, those documents were seized at the Kigali international airport before getting to Rumanzi; it is not clear yet if he has been prosecuted before.

Henry Brulart Muhire, the Secretary General of Football governing body (Ferwafa), confirmed that they knew that Rumanzi didn’t return with the team and had already been removed from the Academy’s staff.

"Nothing more I should do at my level,except removing him from the staff list,” Muhire told Times Sport in an interview.

Meanwhile, the judge who helped him is detained at Kacyiru RIB Station as the investigation is ongoing.

Upon conviction, he could face up to seven years in prison and a fine of up to Rwf 5 million.