Karekezi thrilled after winning first trophy

SaturdayAS Kigali 2-1 Police FCAPR FC 0-1 Rayon Sports Rayon Sports head coach Olivier Karekezi is delighted after his team were crowned champions of the 2017 Agaciro football tournament on Saturday at Amahoro National Stadium. Rayons new head coach Olivier Karekezi. The reigning league champions defeated arch-rivals APR FC 1-0 thanks to a brilliant free kick in the 87th minute by former APR left-back Eric Rutanga. But the win was not enough to guarantee Karekezi’s team the title as the winner had to be decided through lottery that involved three teams that had finished level on six points each, namely; APR, Rayon Sports and AS Kigali. The tournament regulation’s article 7 of tossing the coin/random draw in case teams are tied on same points, had to be applied to decide the eventual winner, first and second runner-ups. “Our first target was to win the game against APR and we have achieved it, I am happy for the win. In the three matches, we won two and lost one, but, overall, I think we played better football,” Karekezi said after masterminding his first win over his former club. The former Amavubi skipper added that, “We set ourselves targets ahead of the competition, which we have managed to achieve. In the meantime, I can’t hide my satisfaction with the way we are going about our business.” In a random draw event held at the end of the game in the presence of the captains of the three teams, Rayon Sports’ Eric ‘Bakame’ Ndayishimiye picked the paper declaring the Blues the winners of the trophy and cash prize of Rwf3m. APR FC, who finished second, pocketed Rwf2m, while third-placed AS Kigali took home Rwf1m. Police FC, who won the first edition in 2015, finished this year’s tournament without a point and took home nothing. Karekezi, preparing to start his coaching career at the senior level, noted that, “We’re lucky not only to win the game in the last minutes but also to win the random draw. However, overall, we played better and we deserve the trophy.” Rayon Sports dominated the game from the start to the end and had four good chances to score goals in the first half but Tidiane Kone, new signing Bonfils Caleb Bimenyimana and Djabel Manishimwe wasted them. Jimmy Mulisa’s APR FC finished the game with ten men after midfielder Muhadjiri Hakizimana was sent off following a second bookable offence in the 75th minute. AS Kigali had earlier defeated Police FC 2-1 thanks to a brace from Ugandan striker Franck Kalanda, while Christophe Abeddy Biramahire netted the consolation goal for the cops. The four-team tournament, organised by Rwanda Football Association (FERWAFA) in collaboration with Agaciro Development Fund (AgDF), was part of efforts to raise funds towards the Rwanda’s sovereign wealth fund. editorial@newtimes.co.rw