Gregoire Muramira Isonga FC Chairman Gregoire Muramira is optimistic that his relegated club will make a fast comeback into the top flight division next season. The team that was relegated to the second division this season, released all the players and they are trying out most of the U-17 players who were part of the just concluded Airtel Rising Stars (ARS) third edition at Ferwafa turf. A total of 44 players are in training at Ferwafa turf since Monday for morning and afternoon training sessions under assistant coach Suleiman Niyibizi. “We are starting to build a strong team with young players that can compete on the high level once again next season. We have high hopes for a quick comeback next year,” Muramira said. The club, which forms the core of the U-17 national team, has started the process to find new players from this year’s ARS, local academies and talent detection centres to replace the current squad. Ministry of Sports and Culture (MINISPOC) will continue sponsoring the team. The current management of Isonga is to bring through young players and train them as the future of Rwandan football. The plan will remain the same for the current team, to continue giving a chance to young players who are the future of football. Isonga FC was founded in 2011 as a composition of players that played at the African U-17 Youth Championship and the FIFA World Cup. The team was promoted to the U-20 level and registered to play in the national league without going through the second division. For their debut under Eric Nshimiyimana, Isonga finished in sixth position in the 2011/12 season but failed to maintain that impressive form in the 2012/13 season, which saw them relegated to the second-tier league under Yves Rwasamanzi. Since then, the club has produced players, who have gone on to realize their dream of playing for big clubs in Rwanda, Europe and the national team—among them, center backs Salomon Nirisarike (Saint-Trond, Belgium) and Emery Bayisenge, who recently joined Austria’s Lask Linz FC from APR. Other players have joined big teams in Rwanda including Police FC, Gicumbi, Mukura, Rayon Sports, SC Kiyovu and among others. Isonga and Etincelles were relegated in second division last season and were replaced by Bugesera and Rwamagana for the 2015/16 season which gets underway September, 18.
