German tactician Antoine Hey is new Amavubi head coach

Rwanda Football Federation (FERWAFA) has appointed German national Antoine Hey as the new head coach of the national team (Amavubi) on a two-year deal. Hey beat Raoul Savoy (Switzerland) and Rui Aguas (Portugal), who made the final three-man shortlist after a rigorous vetting process. “In Hey, I think we have made a good choice, especially considering that we have a partnership with Germany, but the official announcement will be made when Minister of Sports and Culture Julienne Uwacu returns from the Leadership Retreat in Gabiro,” a source privy to the development told Times Sport. Several coaches had applied to take the job which fell vacant last year in August when Johnny McKinstry was sacked. The 46-year-old German is expected to be unveiled before the end of the week. It is reported that Hey will receive a monthly salary of US$20,000 (about Rwf16.6m), part of which will be paid by the German Football Association (DFB). Observers say the appointment of Hey is not a surprise, as the Rwandan and German federations recently signed a two-year partnership agreement, which will include, among others, training of young Rwandan players and coaches. Hey’s first adventure on the continent was with Lesotho between 2004 and 2006. He later coached the Gambian team, but his stay was short-lived as he fell out with the federation over money matters. Hey would then move north to coach Tunisian side US Monastir in 2007, before taking over as Liberia’s coach (2008-2009). He also handled Kenya’s “Harambee Stars,” a job he held from February to November 2009 before walking out after disputes with the federation over team selection. His last job was with Sudanese giants El-Merreikh (November 2016-January 2017) Hey is a former midfielder, who plied his trade as a player with Fortuna Düsseldorf, Schalke 04, Birmingham City (England) and Anorthosis Famagusta (Cyprus). The German, also worked with the Libyan FA as the sporting director and Bahrain (technical director). Hey becomes the latest in a string of German coaches who have been in charge of Amavubi. The others were; Otto Pfister (1972–76), Rudi Gutendorf (1999–00) and, most recently, Michael Nees (2006–07). editorial@newtimes.co.rw