Ex-skipper Karekezi eyes coaching career in Rwanda

Former Amavubi skipper Olivier ‘Fils’ Karekezi wants to start his coaching career in Rwanda after receiving a UEFA Coaching ‘A’ license. The UEFA coaching ‘A’ licence is one step below the UEFA Pro licence, which is the highest qualification needed to coach elite football teams. Coaches like Pep Guadiola of Bayern Munich and Jurgen Kopp of Borussia Dortmund have a UEFA Pro licence. “I will come to coach in Rwanda at the end of next year, I can coach any team but it must have good structures and should not be disorganised,” Karekezi said adding that his ultimate dream is to coach the National Football team-Amavubi. Local coaches, who have the UEFA A licence include Eric Nshimiyimana (AS Kigali), Jean Baptiste Kayiranga, Vincent Mashami (Assistant APR coach), Sosthene Habimana (Rayon Sports Assistant Coach), Andre Cassa Mbungo (Police) and Abdoul Mbarushimana (Rayon Sport Academy Coach). APR Head Coach Ljubomir “Ljupko” PetroviÄ‡ and Amavubi Coach Stephen Constantine both posses the UEFA Pro licence. Karekezi, who retired from football this year after 14 years, is also keen on upgrading to the UEFA Pro licence. Widely regarded as the best player of his generation, Karekezi was part of the Amavubi side that featured in 2004 Nations Cup finals in Tunisia – the country’s most successful football team to date. The 31-year-old retired after scoring 25 goals from 53 appearances for Amavubi, having made his debut in 2000 during a two-all clash against Cote d’Ivoire in the qualifiers of the 2002 Fifa World Cup. He started his career with APR before joining Sweden’s top division club Helsingborg’s IF in 2005. In January 2008, he joined Hamarkameratene which he left two years later for Swedish second division club Östers IF on a two-year deal. Karekezi would later surprise many people by taking a pay cut to play for his former club APR in 2011 but left after one year for Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 club CA Bizertin on a two-year deal before winding his career with Swedish third-tier outfit Trelleborgs FF.