Rwanda top tier side Muhazi United have suspended their assistant coach Jean Baptiste ‘Miggy’ Mugiraneza indefinitely pending ongoing investigation regarding a case involving him in an alleged match fixing scandal, club president Longin Nkaka Mfizi confirmed to Times Sport on Tuesday. The suspension follows a leaked audio recording which surfaced on Monday, March 17 where a person, alleged to be Mugiraneza, is heard asking a Musanze FC defender Shafiq Bakaki ‘for a favour’ to facilitate his own team’s defeat against Kiyovu SC when the pair faced off over the weekend. The win would have got the Green Baggies out of relegation zone in the Rwandan Premier League which is nine match days away from conclusion. ALSO READ: Muhazi United probe Miggy over alleged match fixing Mugiraneza is said to have a greed a deal to coach Kiyovu next season and, in the recording, he is heard promising the player to return the favour by taking him to Kiyovu FC when he takes charge next season. However, the player turned down the offer, explaining that it is against his Islamic principles especially during this time of Ramadan when he was observing Swaum. Instead, he chose to inform the club management about the coach’s plot which failed as Musanze went on to win 3-0 with Bakaki scoring the second goal of the game. Club president Mfizi told Times Sport that the club management has decided to suspend the former national team Amavubi captain, as investigation on the case continues. “We have taken decision to suspend him (Jean Baptiste ‘Miggy’ Mugiraneza) indefinitely. I will not go into the details as we are doing investigations about him,” Mfizi said. “We haven’t taken any decision yet as we are still looking into the issue. The final decision will depend on the authenticity and the gravity of what he is alleged,” he added. Mugiraneza joined Muhazi United at the start of the season as assistant to head coach Emmanuel Ruremesha. Prior to his move, he was assistant coach to Sosthene Habimana at Musanze FC during the 2023/24 season.
