Azam Rwanda Premier League matches postponed

Azam Rwanda Premier League has been suspended for more than a month to allow the national football team, Amavubi, to prepare for and subsequently take part in this year’s Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) finals. The league will return on February 6-7, the country’s football federation, Ferwafa, decided on Sunday. CHAN finals, to be staged in Morocco, will take place from January 13 to February 4. The Azam Rwanda Premier League will be heading into match day 11 when it resumes on Tuesday, February 6. Ferwafa’s competitions department will adjust the fixtures accordingly next week, officials said. SC Kiyovu started the New Year at the summit of the league table with 20 points. AS Kigali are in second place with 18 points while 16-time champions APR FC are in third, three points behind leaders SC Kiyovu. Rayon Sports, who will be representing Rwanda at the 2018 Total CAF Champions League, are in fourth; followed by Mukura VS, then Police FC and Sunrise FC. In eighth place are Etincelles with 13 points, one ahead of Marines FC, while Amagaju FC are tenth with 11 points, one ahead of Kirehe, Bugesera and Gicumbi who are all on 10 points. Musanze are ranked 14th with nine points, one ahead of relegation battling sides Miroplast FC and Espoir FC, who have eight points each but separated by goals. Meanwhile, a 23-man Amavubi delegation yesterday jetted out of the country to Tunisia for further preparations ahead of the continent’s second most important football showpiece, before they head to Morocco on January 11. Rwanda were drawn in Group C alongside 2014 winners Libya, Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea. Amavubi start their campaign at the tournament against Nigeria on January 15, before facing Equatorial Guinea on January 19 and then rounding up their group matches against Libya on January 23. The top two teams in each group will proceed to the last eight. The competition, which is reserved for players plying their trade in their respective country’s domestic leagues, will end on February 4.. editorial@newtimes.co.rw