Amavubi and APR foreword Ernest Sugira has denied rumors that he might leave the military side at the end of the season in which he will not play a single match through injury. Sugira, 27, joined APR last July from DR Congo’s AS Vita Club. He signed a one-year contract. Shortly after joining APR, the striker was summoned to the national team camp, which then were preparing to face Uganda Cranes in an AFCON qualifier, from where he picked up the nasty injury. He was operated on in March at Medanta the Medacity hospital in New Delhi after an unsuccessful operation at King Faisal Hospital, Kigali last year. After eleven months on the sidelines with a left leg injury, Sugira has returned to APR’s first team training and is expected to finally play a full competitive match next month. Speaking to Times Sport yesterday, the former AS Kigali forward insisted that he is not leaving APR after this season and has already signed a pre-contract agreement with the club before he could ink a one-year contract extension later this month. “I have had talks with APR officials about renewal of my contract, I signed a pre-contract agreement last week. After all the club has done for me over the past 11 months, I feel I will be ready to play my part in the near future,” Sugira said. “My focus now is on regaining fitness and helping APR and the national team given the opportunity,” he said. Sugira made his debut appearance for Amavubi in September 2013 before scoring his first international goal, against Mozambique, in 2015. He has 19 caps for Amavubi, scoring eight goals, including three at the 2016 African Nations Championships. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
