National football team captain Djihad Bizimana has described Amavubi’s recent training camp in Egypt as “fruitful,” despite the cancellation of two planned international friendly matches against Tanzania and Comoros. This week, the team concluded an intensive training camp in Cairo, organised after the abrupt cancellation of scheduled friendlies in Marrakech, Morocco. The matches, initially set for June 6 and June 9 in Morocco, were called off due to health concerns, prompting the Rwanda Football Federation (FERWAFA) to swiftly adjust preparations ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers. Rather than returning home, head coach Stephen Constantine and his technical team opted to relocate the camp to Egypt to ensure valuable preparation time was not lost. Speaking after the camp, Bizimana highlighted the importance of the sessions, particularly in strengthening team cohesion and integrating new players into the squad. “We had very good training sessions with the coaches,” Bizimana said. “What we really needed was bonding between the new faces and the senior players, and that was very impactful for the team. Coach Constantine emphasized that continuing the camp was essential for the team’s progress. “We still needed quality training time,” he said. “Ending the camp abruptly would have wasted time, resources, and effort. Our priority was to keep the players focused and continue preparing for the AFCON qualifiers.” The technical team explored several options to organise friendly matches, including hosting Uganda and Tanzania in Kigali and securing opponents in Egypt, but these efforts were unsuccessful. Nevertheless, the extended camp allowed the coaching staff to work on team chemistry and assess new call-ups, including Noam Emeran, who responded to his first senior national team invitation. The camp also marked the first involvement of newly appointed Brazilian goalkeeping coach, Ramos Dal Solio Rogerio. Amavubi returned to Kigali on Thursday morning, with focus shifting to the upcoming AFCON 2027 qualification campaign.
