Rivals coaches eye Peace Cup title

Saturday: Final AS Kigali vs AS Muhanga 3pmAS Kigali coach Andrew Gasambungo and his AS Muhanga counterpart Ali Bizimungu will be looking to win the first major silverware of their coaching career when they face off in the final of this year’s Peace Cup against Malaria on Saturday at Amahoro Stadium.The two youthful coaches have never won anything in their not-so-long coaching careers and both can’t wait to give everything in a bid to win this tournament. And not only that, but also the prospect of the winners playing in next year’s CAF Confederation Cup is in itself a big motivation for any coach.AS Muhanga coach Bizimungu said he has a fully fit squad to pick the best team. “We want this trophy badly and are ready for the challenge.”“My team has been playing well so far and I hope we will be able to continue with our (good) form, we have a good team and some really decent players, who can make the difference for us as long as the whole team gives its best in the final,” explained the former Mukura and Rayon Sports coach.He added, “I know AS Kigali are a good team and Casa (their coach) will be out for a win but we have a good chance. I am quite confident about that, this is our chance to put ourselves among the elites of Rwandan football.”While Bizimungu and his team harbour hopes of lifting what would be their first ever major silverware, his counterpart, Gasambungo aka Casa, shares the same ambitions.The former Sec academy coach is optimistic that his side is capable of winning the title, “I think we are capable of winning the title.” He added, “We are building a team for the future, we know where we are coming from and where we are heading as far as our targets are concerned.”“Every final is always difficult regardless of who you play against because both teams are in most cases well prepared, so it is going to be tough for us against AS Muhanga, but I know when my team is at their top form, we are capable of beating any team in this country, so we have to have confidence in our ability,” he told Saturday Sport.He also noted that, “We know we can beat a good side like AS Muhanga but it is good to have strong mentality and character to be a winner. This is what we need in our team at this time and I have tried to teach the players to be strong mentally and physically before the final game.”Road to finalOn the way to their first ever final of a major competition, AS Muhanga beat Bugesera in the two-legged semifinal, while AS Kigali knocked out holders APR 4-2 on penalties after a 1-all draw.In the earlier rounds, AS Kigali beat second division side Etoile d’Est 4-1, Musanze 4-0, Espoir 3-1, while AS Muhanga eliminated Primus league rivals Police 5-2 on penalty shootout, Aspor 2-1 and Mukura 2-1.Imbuto Foundation is the sponsors of this year’s Peace Cup after injecting Rfw97m into the annual football tournament, which was renamed “Peace Cup against Malaria.”The winner of the final will pocket Frw7m; Frw5m will be given to the first runners-up, while APR and Bugesera have agreed to share equally the prize money for third and fourth place after the organisers called off the playoff game due to the unavailability of the former, who are still in Khartoum after taking part in this year’s Cecafa-Kagame Cup.According to AS Muhanga chairman, Celse Gasana, if his team wins the title, the first in the club’s history, the players and coaching staff will share the Frw7m prize money among themselves. “Our motivation is to win the game, the title is the most important for the club, and for the money, the players and coaches will share it as a token of appreciation for their effort in what has been a memorable season, which could see AS Muhanga play in Africa next year,” the soft spoken Gasana told Saturday Sport.Past winners since 20002000 APR FC2001 Les Citadins 2003 Rayon Sports2004 not held2005 Rayon Sports2006 APR FC2007 APR FC2008 APR FC2009 ATRACO2010 APR FC2011 APR FC2012 APR FC2013 ????