Ferwafa shortlists Kasperczak, Berti Vogts for Amavubi job

Ferwafa has denied reports that they are in talks with Polish coach Henri Kasperczak to take charge of Amavubi Stars ahead of the 2010 Fifa world cup /Can qualifiers due to start in May.

Monday, March 10, 2008
NO CONTACT: Jean Bosco Kazura (left) and Henri Kasperczak

Ferwafa has denied reports that they are in talks with Polish coach Henri Kasperczak to take charge of Amavubi Stars ahead of the 2010 Fifa world cup /Can qualifiers due to start in May.

Brig. Gen. John Bosco Kazura, president of the local football governing body disclosed to Times Sport yesterday by telephone that they haven’t contacted the polish to take over the national team.

However he revealed that they are in a process of contacting several coaches with former German and Nigerian teams’ coach Berti Vogts also on the shortlist.

Vogts left his job in the wake of a hugely disappointing Nations Cup campaign.

The 61-year-old Vogts, whose biggest triumph was leading Germany to the 1996 European Championship title, also coached Scotland before coaching the Super Eagles 
According to a report posted on BBC football Africa website, Henri Kasperczak says he has been approached to take charge of Rwanda.

"We haven’t contacted anyone for the national team post at the moment and if we do, you will be the first people to know”, we can sign him or anybody else’’
Kazura said.

Kasperczak has not coached since quitting as the manager of Senegal at the African Cup of Nations in January in Ghana.

Kasperczak added that he has also received several offers from clubs sides in Africa and Europe.

"I was actually contacted by the Rwandan federation, but nothing more,” the former coach of the Mali national team said.

"I also have other opportunities with clubs not only in Africa.

"I will study all these proposals before I make a decision but I am not in a rush to make a decision.”

The Polish coach resigned his post as Senegal coach after the Teranga Lions failed to progress from the group stages hence becoming free to talk any other team.
If any coach takes over Amavubi Stars, his main objective would be to qualify Rwanda to the 2010 African Cup of Nations to be held in Angola.

Kasperczak has plenty of experience in Africa, having led Tunisia to final of the Nations Cup in 1996 and then took Mali to the semi-finals in 2002. He has also had spells in charge of Morocco and the Ivory Coast.

Kasperczak, who also has French citizenship, has worked with several French clubs including Metz, Strasbourg, Montpellier, Lille, Saint Etienne and Bastia.
As a player he won the third place play-off in the World Cup in 1978 with Poland, for who he earned 63 caps.

Polish-born coach took charge at his fifth African Nations cup finals, having been appointed Senegal coach in September 2006.

Kasperczak, 62, was coach of the Ivory Coast at the 1994 finals, Tunisia two years later, Morocco in 2000 and Mali when they hosted the 2002 finals.

After concluding his playing career in France, Kasperczak coached at Metz, St Etienne, Racing Strasbourg, Montpellier, Lille and Bastia. He has also coached in his native Poland and in China.

Kasperczak previously held the record for most number of matches coached at the Cup finals, but it was broken by Frenchman Claude LeRoy in 2006.

Ferwafa’s hunt for a permanent national team head coach arose in the wake of Josip Kuze’s resignation in January, four months of penning a two year deal.

Kuze’s departure came as a shock to many after helping Rwanda finish second at last year’s GTV Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Before his departure, Kuze recommended fellow Croat and U-20 coach Tomislav Obradovic for the Amavubi top job.

The 55-year-old left the Amavubi job to take up Japanese premier club JEF United Chiba where he received a better package reported to be around $400.000 per season.

Kuze was the second coach from former Yugoslavia federation to take charge of the Rwandan national team after his predecessor, Serb Ratomir Dujkovic left a huge impact in Rwanda after leading the team to its maiden appearance at the African Nations Cup in 2004 and he later led Ghana to the second round of World Cup 2006 in Germany where they lost to Brazil.
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