From a floodlight controversy in Uganda in the 1970s to APR FC’s extraordinary trip to Lubumbashi in 2026, Rwanda’s football history is filled with matches shaped by far more than what happened on the pitch. APR FC’s much-discussed visit to Lubumbashi on Sunday, September 6, 2026, reminded me once again that, in Rwanda and across the Great Lakes region, football has rarely been just about football. The unusual trip — amid security and health concerns, a match played behind closed doors, exceptional travel arrangements and limited contact with the opposing delegation — brought back memories of other international matches involving Rwandan clubs and Amavubi, many marked by controversies, politics, security concerns, difficult journeys and strained relations between neighbouring countries. Looking back, some matches stand out as much for what surrounded them as for what happened on the pitch. A floodlight controversy in Uganda One of the oldest stories dates back to 1976, when Amavubi travelled to Uganda for a friendly against the Uganda Cranes. The long-standing account is that after Rwanda scored a spectacular goal through Alexandre Semukanya, the floodlights were reportedly switched off, bringing the match to an abrupt end. Earlier, another celebrated Rwandan footballer of that era, Epimaque Kamatari, had scored a fine goal that was controversially ruled out by the referee. Whether every detail can still be independently verified is another question, but the story has survived for generations and become part of Rwanda’s football folklore. When a goal counted twice In 1981, Rayon Sports faced Burundi’s Vital’O FC in the African Champions’ Cup. Vital’O had won the first leg 3–1 in Bujumbura, while Rayon Sports won 1–0 in Kigali. According to the long-standing account, the referee controversially ruled that Rayon’s goal from the first match should count twice. That levelled the aggregate score at 3–3 and sent the tie to a penalty shootout, which Vital’O eventually won after lengthy protests and complaints. The Rayon Sports dispute in Brazzaville I personally experienced one of the most difficult episodes on this list. In early 1990, Rayon Sports hosted Congo-Brazzaville’s Diables Noires and won 1–0. Before the return match, a dispute arose over promised winning bonuses and travel allowances. The players never refused to travel. The issue was that the club had failed to honour commitments made to us. The dispute escalated, involving the Rayon Sports executive committee, FERWAFA, the Ministry of Sports and security authorities. We were even accused of refusing to represent Rwanda and, according to information we received later, came close to being jailed as alleged traitors. Eventually, we travelled by bus from Kigali to Gisenyi, crossed into Goma and flew to Kinshasa before crossing the Fleuve Zaire to Brazzaville. We arrived only a day before the match. The journey was exhausting. We spent hours at the port in Kinshasa in the scorching heat, while hostile supporters in Brazzaville threw water and other objects at us. Our hotel had no food, so we survived on light sandwiches, and even our training session was cut short. We lost 4–0. Back in Kigali, more than eight players were suspended for two years. I was among them, despite being the youngest player and not having played in the match. Most were eventually pardoned before the new season because the club needed them. I was not. Instead, I was sacked and reportedly prevented from joining another club. A few months later, the liberation struggle began and football activities stopped. I eventually returned to Rayon Sports about a year later, when football resumed in late 1991. An anthem within an anthem In 1992, Rayon Sports travelled to Addis Ababa to play Ethiopia’s Insurance FC. After the two national anthems had been played, a small group of supporters remained standing and continued singing what sounded like the Ethiopian anthem for another five minutes. We later learned they were Eritrean supporters living in Addis Ababa, protesting Eritrea’s newly established independence after its long war with Ethiopia. They had been singing the new Eritrean national anthem. For us as Rwandans, then going through internal conflict and deeply divisive politics, the moment was particularly telling. From Khartoum to Kigali in 1994 Another unforgettable chapter came in 1994, when Rayon Sports faced Sudanese giants Al Hilal. Concerned about the food provided to visiting teams, our delegation bought ingredients from the local market and took them to the Rwandan Ambassador’s residence, where club officials and travelling supporters prepared a meal for the players. After returning from Khartoum, we stopped overnight in Nairobi. The following morning, insecurity in Kigali following the deaths of political leaders Félicien Gatabazi and Martin Bucyana forced our flight to be diverted to Bujumbura. From there, we travelled by bus under Burundian Army escort to Akanyaru, before continuing through Butare and Gitarama under the protection of the former Rwandan Army. After several difficult days, we reached Kigali. Rayon Sports won the return leg and qualified for the next round. But only two weeks before our next scheduled match, the Genocide against the Tutsi began, bringing the campaign to an abrupt end. The trip also remains memorable for a reception hosted for Rayon Sports by then-President Juvénal Habyarimana at Rebero Hotel. The event caused unease among some supporters and political opponents who felt the club was being used for political purposes. Bring back our guns In 1995, I was Amavubi captain during a CECAFA tournament in Kampala when Ugandan supporters began chanting: “Muludishe siraha zetu!” — “Bring back our guns!” We later understood the reference to the liberation struggle and to RPA soldiers who had previously served in the Ugandan Army, some of whom had left with their weapons. Standing there as Amavubi captain only months after the Genocide against the Tutsi, the chant carried a significance far beyond football. Football, resilience and unexpected connections In the early 2000s, an Amavubi trip to Chad presented a different challenge. The team was accommodated in a poor-standard hotel that refused to provide food, and the coach considered cancelling the match. The solution came from a Rwandan woman living in Chad, who cooked food and delivered it to the players. In 2001, during another Amavubi trip to Congo-Brazzaville, soldiers protecting the team’s accommodation unexpectedly greeted the players in Kinyarwanda. We later discovered that some were reportedly Rwandans who had fled after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and were serving in the Congolese Army. Then came the famous 2003 AFCON qualifier between Uganda and Rwanda in Kampala. The Amavubi bus became trapped in traffic, chaos surrounded the stadium, and there were accusations of witchcraft directed at goalkeeper Muhamudu Mossi, alongside clashes involving players and security personnel. Jimmy Gatete was struck on the head and was bleeding when he went on to score the famous winning goal. The team flew directly back to Kigali in a private chartered plane, arriving in the early hours to a reception led by President Paul Kagame and thousands of supporters at Amahoro Stadium. And then came Lubumbashi More than two decades later, APR FC added another chapter to this extraordinary history. The fixture against Les Aigles du Congo was moved from Kinshasa to Lubumbashi amid security and health concerns and was played behind closed doors. Heavily armed security personnel surrounded the venue, while security vehicles patrolled the area. Inside, security officers were so numerous that they outnumbered the few team officials and journalists allowed to watch. APR FC also travelled under exceptional arrangements, reportedly using a chartered flight, carrying its own food and water, limiting contact with the opposing delegation and planning to return immediately after the match. APR lost 1–0 but returned to Kigali with every chance of turning the tie around. More than football From the alleged switching off of the floodlights in Uganda in the 1970s to APR FC’s extraordinary trip to Lubumbashi in 2026, these episodes show how Rwanda’s football history is intertwined with the wider history of the country and the region. They reflect identity, politics, conflict, power, resilience and memory. They also reveal football’s ability to create unexpected connections and lasting memories, even in the most difficult circumstances. Most importantly, these stories are lessons from our past that can help shape a better future for football and society. That is why they deserve to be remembered, discussed and passed on. And I believe there are many more still waiting to be told. What other extraordinary, controversial or unforgettable international matches involving Rwandan clubs or Amavubi do you remember? The author is a former footballer.
