Constantine impressed with players' response

Rwanda National football team head coach Stephen Constantine has hailed the players’ attitude after their first two training sessions yesterday ahead of the friendly match against Burundi on December 20. Constantine, who is preparing the U-23 side for the upcoming Rio 2016 Olympic Games first round of qualification encounter against Somalia in March next year, said that the players responded well to his tactics and expectations. “The boys are giving everything they have and this has been the case from the day I arrived. They work very hard for me and the results are there for everyone to see because of their hard work. I expect nothing less from them,” explained Constantine after yesterday’s training session at the Kigali regional stadium. The Englishman revealed that he would prefer to field only the U-23 side but the experience of veteran players – Amavubi stand-in captain Ismael ‘Kodo’ Nshutiyamagara and defensive midfielder Jean Baptiste Mugiraneza – will come in handy. Constantine noted: “They offer you stability and leadership and they have the experience to calm down some of the younger players because they have seen it, done it. This is the advantage with the Olympics where you can have three senior players. Personally, I would love to use only the U-23 players but we have to follow the rules.” The Amavubi will have two training sessions today and tomorrow as they prepare to face Intamba m’Urugamba who arrive today. The Amavubi team is residing at the Kigali View Hotel in Nyamirambo, two kilometres from the Kigali regional stadium. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Constantine impressed with players' response