Dear editorIt is disappointing to see our two big teams APR and Rayon, out the regional club championship without any coin or cause. The most hurting issue of course is the fact that we have invested a lot in the teams. We should however, agree that the teams performed far below standards. Poor tactical skills led to APR and Rayon exit from the championship, thus ending Rwanda’s hopes of having one of her two teams’ progresses to the semi-finals. After APR, everybody was waiting for Rayon Sport to carry Rwanda’s flag, but the dramatic penalty kick 7-6 turned out to be the worst moment not only for the players, but also for fans who were watching from TVs back at home. It is a pity to enjoy the goalless ninety minutes of superior domination but fall out on penalties. The 1998 Cecafa club championship winners will have themselves to blame for not pulling away the numerous chances that came their way. A naïve substitution of Webo Lawrence for the out standing Vladimir Niyonkuru by coach Raoul Shungu, in anticipation for the spot kicks very late into second half was the worst ever decision to be taken by a professional coach. Rayon came on as the second and last Rwandan team after 2007 champions APR to be eliminated at the quarterfinal stage in a space of 48 hours. The champions were beaten 2-0 by Tanzania’s other representatives Simba. The two-time Kagame Cup champion, APR, commonly known for its quality football lacked a lot. Its excellent football disappeared when they set foot in Dar es Salaam. Moreover, the most unfortunate thing of it all is that even those teams that stayed in competition do not shows any quality football either. KICUKIRO
