Rayon Sports coach Francis Haringingo has challenged his side to win the 2023 Peace Cup if they are to finish the season in a good mood. Rayon has gone five years without winning the league despite having the biggest fan base in the country and, Haringingo admitted that they are now looking for the Peace Cup after losing 3-1 against Gorilla FC which dropped them to third place with 55 points, five behind leaders SC Kiyovu and two behind APR in second place. With the league title seemingly getting out of their hands, Haringingo has turned the focus on winning this year’s Peace Cup title. “Winning the league will be hard because we need to see Kiyovu and APR drop points. But it is hard, so we need to put all our energy into the Peace Cup so that we can take one cup at the end of the season,” Haringingo said. “We throw away unnecessary points so that’s past. We need to change and look for the Peace Cup, especially in the return leg against Mukura,” the coach of the most popular team in Rwanda noted. Rayon Sports beat Mukura Victory Sports in the first leg 3-2. Congolese playmaker Heritier Luvumbu, Ugandan forward, Joackim Ojera, and Cameroonian forward, Leandre Willy Onana Essomba, again proved to be the stars of the day in Rayon Sports’ 3-2 thrilling comeback victory over Mukura on Wednesday at Huye Stadium. “The win against Mukura is a big motivation for us and we are focused on winning the Peace Cup. It’s a big competition and a big match against Mukura on Saturday and our target will be to do much better and win the trophy,” Haringingo admitted. Both teams return to action in a second-leg encounter slated for Saturday, May 13, at Kigali Stadium. The Blues have won 9 Rwandan Cups. The last time Rayon Sports won the Peace Cup was in 2016 after beating arch-rivals APR FC 1-0. The winner of the competition will represent Rwanda in next season’s CAF Confederations Cup tournament.
