Police FC head coach Ben Moussa has returned to Rwanda with a bold declaration. He intends to deliver the club’s first-ever league title. That is a daunting task, and he knows but not fazed. The Tunisian tactician, fresh off a morale-boosting 2-1 pre-season win over APR FC, has called his side “title contenders” ahead of the start of the 2025/26 Rwanda Premier League season in September. But for that statement to become reality, Moussa will have to mastermind one of the most unlikely campaigns in recent history, and hope the league’s Big Two finally blink. APR FC (23 titles) and Rayon Sports (7) have ruled the league with an iron grip for 31 years— only once, in 2007/08, did another side—the now-defunct ATRACO FC—break the cycle. Since then, APR have collected the last six championships, while Rayon have often played the role of groomsmen. Moussa, however, is not naïve about the scale of the challenge, after all. “I did not come here to have fun,” he said after Sunday’s friendly. “Police FC usually finish third, fourth, second...I came to change the mindset and win the title.” And in a word, wow! That's a bold undertaking. The 36-year old knows what it takes, having guided APR to the 2022/23 crown when he stepped in mid-season after he took over from Moroccan Adil Erradi Muhammed. Now, he inherits a Police side with renewed ambition, fresh signings, and an ever supportive management structure. The law-enforcers side are yet to win the league, but not for the lack of trying or investment. The squad that finished 4th last season, has been bolstered with Dieudonne Ndayishimiye and Alain Bacca Kwitonda from APR, right-back Samuel Nsengiyumva from Gorilla FC, and Burundian midfielder Leonard Gakwaya from Bugesera FC. And they have retained captain Eric Nsabimana, goalkeeper Onesime Rukundo, and key defender Samuel Ndizeye, while promoting academy talent Abdoul Niyigena. On paper, Police are expected to assemble arguably one of the strongest squads in years, next season. On the pitch, Moussa must embed a winning mentality. Easier said than done, though. In football, titles are won not just by beating your direct rivals but by consistently dispatching the league’s lower-ranked teams. Police will need to do that more regularly than they are used to. “The way you play with the 15th or 16th team should be the same way you play against the top four,” Moussa, who likes to play with a 4-3-3 formation, acknowledges. This formation is known for creating triangles on the field, providing passing options, and facilitating a possession-based style of play. Tactically, Moussa’s biggest weapon could be organisation and high-intensity play, for, APR’s quality/depth and Rayon’s attacking flair have historically overwhelmed opponents. Yet, both sides can be frustrated by disciplined, compact, counter-attacking teams. The two teams, but especially APR, keep getting better and better for their local challengers. Therefore, Police must be ruthlessly efficient — turning 1-0 leads into three points and avoiding the mid-season slumps that have cost them in past campaigns. Even so, Moussa will need an element of fortune. For Police to win the league, APR must drop points more than usual—perhaps distracted by CAF Champions League commitments or hindered by injuries, or both and other factors. Rayon, too, would need an inconsistent run. Such dips are rare, but not impossible. The trick is to stay close enough in the table to take advantage if and when that moment comes. Mashami starts new chapter in TZ While Moussa plots an assault on the domestic hierarchy, his immediate predecessor, Vincent Mashami, is embarking on a new challenge outside Rwanda. The former Amavubi coach has signed a one-year deal with Dodoma Jiji FC in Tanzania’s Premier League, replacing Tanzanian Mecky Maxime. Dodoma Jiji, who finished 12th last season, have tasked Mashami with securing a top-six finish — a significant leap in a league boasting heavyweights like Young Africans (Yanga), Simba SC, Azam FC, and Singida Black Stars. For Mashami, the move is both an opportunity and a test. To start with, the Tanzanian league is richer, faster, and more competitive than Rwanda’s. He could have a bigger budget to work with, but also far less room for error. Adapting to a different football culture, putting his tactical ideas through ASAP, and earning results will be critical to his cause. Mashami’s CV is already impressive domestically: a league title with APR, cup success with Police, and a landmark CHAN 2016 quarter-final run with the national team. Success in Tanzania would elevate him into a new bracket of East African coaches. He joins Andre Cassa Mbungo as the only Rwandans to coach at the top level, outside Rwanda. Mbungo had stints in the Kenyan Premier League with AFC Leopards and Bandari FC. He is current the coacb of Juba-based Jamus FC. Now, as the new season approaches, both Moussa and Mashami find themselves at pivotal crossroads. Moussa must defy history to break a three-decade duopoly at home, while Mashami must adapt and thrive in a foreign, more demanding footballing environment. If Moussa’s Police can maintain pre-season form deep into the campaign, and if APR or Rayon falter, the Tunisian could script the league’s biggest shock since ATRACO’s 2008 triumph. Meanwhile, if Mashami can lift Dodoma Jiji into the upper half of Tanzania’s league, he will have proven his credentials beyond Rwanda’s borders. The odds are long for both men, but in football, ambition is the first ingredient of success. This season will reveal whether bold words can be matched by bold results. Good luck to both, for, they surely will need it in abundance—stopping the dominant APR from winning an unprecedented 7th straight Rwandan league title will be a monumental task.
