On Tuesday, November 17, Amavubi’s chances for qualifying for the AFCON 2022 were left hanging as the national team were held to a goalless draw by Cape Verde. The development left Amavubi at the bottom of Group F, having registered only 2 points in the 4 games they have played so far in the ongoing qualification campaign, and this means that the team’s qualification for AFCON 2022 is a tall order. Amavubi fans and people familiar with football in the country that spoke to Times Sports in the aftermath of the game showed mixed reactions, concerning the performance of the team, and what they think are the challenges to be addressed going forward. Ruth Rigoga, Rwanda Television sports journalist Journalists, coaches, players and the Ministry of Sports should dialogue on how football in the country can get better especially for the national teams. We are always looking for quick results but first we have to prepare from the ground up, which means there should be national teams at all levels. Also the rule about clubs fielding only 3 foreign players for every match day should be changed because it has failed to make the league competitive and deprived our players the necessary experience of learning from foreign talent Safari Kizito, Lawyer We have a lot of talent in this country and I can give examples of many players from Rubavu District but I think there is no established program to monitor and develop these talents until the player is productive in the national team. Also most people who manage teams in the top flight don’t know the basics of football management yet that is the core base of recruitment of players into the national teams. If availed with resources and the right procedures are followed, and institutions in charge look for long-term solutions rather than a quick fix, there will be no limit to the possibility of Amavubi playing in elite tournaments regularly. Benjamin Hagenimana, B&B FM sports journalist. I think the national team is not prepared well for such elite tournaments and by this, I mean the Ministry of Sports and Ferwafa should always organize friendly matches to help the coach gauge the status of players. The quality in our league is not good enough and this is evident in the number of players who are called up to the national team. Most of them come from around 4 clubs in the league. I think this country has the ability to produce gifted players and there is enough raw talent that can be scouted and harnessed to realise their true potential but there is no concrete blueprint to make that happen. My advice is that first and foremost, the people in charge of football in the country should organize competitions for all age groups. The top flight league and those below it should also be strengthened both in terms of team management and development of players. Also former players of the national team should be engaged for help because many of them are well-versed in the field of football development.
