SC Kiyovu fans are optimistic about the club’s chances of winning their first league title since 1993 following a thumping 6-0 win over Gicumbi last weekend. Hat-trick hero Bienvenue Mugenzi, Abedi Bigirimana with two goals and Emmanuel Okwi were all on the target to lift their side level with leaders APR at 41 points after 19 matches – and with 11 to go – in the 2021/22 Rwanda premier league season. After decades of struggle, and a near-relegation 2016/17 season, the Green Baggies seem to have put their worst days behind them and are arguably the most in-form team in the league right now. “We are hungry to win the league title. We will give our best, from our side as fans,” said Hemed Minani, president of the SC Kiyovu fans club. “The team is capable, but it must be in good shape mentally and be resilient against top teams.” Camilla Abatoni, another avid fan of the Mumena-based outfit, said: “Our team is solid, with good players. What needs to be done is working hard and keeping the winning mentality so we can achieve our dream.” Despite the current form and positive results, however, Burundian manager Francis Haringingo has urged his players to be humble and ‘keep fighting’ until the end of the league campaign. “The willingness to work and humility is what makes champions in football, and that is exactly what I am seeing in my players at the moment. Our aim is to continue with the same spirit until the end of the season,” he said. With SC Kiyovu traveling to Musanze FC on Saturday, Haringingo will be looking to guide his side to a fifth consecutive win and hope that champions APR drop points against stubborn Gasogi United. “There is no doubt at some point it will be hard to keep the momentum, especially against big teams, but we are doing well so far. We are focusing on one game at a time,” he admitted. Before the horrendous events of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Kiyovu were the most successful football in the country with six league titles and four in the previous ten years.
