Ivan R. Mugisha When Rayon Sports appointed Jean François Losciuto as their head coach back in June, they hadnt the slightest idea that this could be the deal that drags the club deep into the mud. Two months down the road, the Belgian coach has forsaken the club. Not that he is AWOL; he is “officially” in Belgium tending to pressing family needs. Yet in reality, Loscuito isnt in Belgium. He is not even tending to “pressing family needs”. From several news sources, Loscuito is in Burkina Faso where he is reported to have signed four year contract with another club called ASFA-Yennenga. Literally, this means that he has two running contracts; one with Rayon Sports, which is due to expire after one year, and another with ASFA-Yennenga. The Belgian on Tuesday denied that he had signed for another club, claiming that he had only traveled to Burkina Faso to finalize a project he previously had with the club. His claims were actually convincing. Especially when you consider how his strongly worded statement on Facebook, showing that whoever said that he had signed for ASFA-Yennenga, was spreading “baseless” gossip. “I am still a Rayon Sports coach,” he said, adding that: “To all the fans, managers and friends of Rayon Sports, you should know that I only left Rwanda to go to Burkina Faso to finalise a project close to my heart for over a year.” Contradictory, Loscuito had previously been quoted by on www.fasozine.com upon his arrival at Ouagadougou International Airport, saying that he was happy to be ASFA Yennenga coach. Till this point, we may assume that the truth can’t be known unless we have physical proof showing his signature on a Yennenga contract. However, what we know for sure is that he detoured from his flight to Belgium and whatever pressing “family issues” he had were certainly less pressing than his deals in Burkina Faso. Reading from Rayon Sport’s response, it appears more likely that Loscuito tricked his Rayon Sports bosses; and whether he did or didn’t sign for Yennenga, he has a blemish to wash. When interviewed, the Rayon Sports president, Theogene Ntampaka, said that Loscuito had been given permission to leave and was expected to return not later than last Thursday. But even by Friday, Loscuito was nowhere near Kigali. Now whether he returns or not, Loscuito has questions to answer. He must answer why he concealed his travel to Burkina Faso. He must also explain his affiliation with another football club yet he is contracted to Rayon Sports. And if he indeed signed for ASFA-Yennenga, Rayon Sports should sue him for breaching his contract, and possibly also sue ASFA-Yennenga for tapping an individual who is contracted elsewhere. If nothing is done in this case, then local football should brace itself for an influx of all sorts of unprofessional deeds regarding contractual obligations.
