Rwanda international and APR FC forward Ernest Sugira has edged closer to a return to competitive football after ten months on the sidelines with left leg injury. The 27-year-old striker has not kicked a ball since August 2017 when the former AS Kigali goal-machine suffered a fractured left-leg injury during a training session with Amavubi at Kigali Stadium. Sugira was operated on in March at Medanta the Medacity hospital in New Delhi after an unsuccessful operation at King Faisal Hospital, Kigali last year. The forward started rehabilitation and gym training earlier this week and is expected to join APR first team training next week. “I’m feeling better than I ever have in the last ten years. I am doing individual training every day, especially fitness training, since Monday. I will be joining APR training next week. The doctors told me I will be ready for a full competitive match in three to four weeks,” the former AS Muhanga forward told Times Sport on Wednesday afternoon. Sugira joined the military side last July on a one-year contract. Shortly after signing, he was called to the national team camp from where he picked up the nasty injury. He started out his career at a young age at AS Muhanga before joining APR in 2013. After one season, he was released by the club and joined AS Kigali, where he played two seasons before his record US$120,000 transfer to DR Congo side AS Vita Club in February of 2016. Sugira made his debut appearance for Amavubi in September 2013 before scoring his first international goal against Mozambique in 2015. He has since received 19 caps for Amavubi, scoring eight goals, including three goals at the 2016 African Nations Championships in Rwanda. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
