President Paul Kagame has urged the national football team, Amavubi to be focused and play as a team in Rwanda’s second match of African Nations Championship (CHAN) against Morocco. The match takes place tonight at 6 pm Rwandan time, at the 30,000-seater Stade de la Réunification. The message by the head of state was conveyed to the team by the Minister of Sports, Aurore Mimosa Munyagaju, virtually, on Friday, January 22. After a barren draw against Uganda Cranes in their opening match, Amavubi will be looking to upset Morocco – the 2018 winners and one of the main challengers this year – at 6 pm Rwandan time, at the 30,000-seater Stade de la Réunification. Speaking to Times Sports on Friday, Munyagaju said that Kagame’s message was mainly about encouraging the national team to secure the three points. “The message from His Excellency Paul Kagame was an encouragement message. He urged them to play with focus and teamwork, and above all keep the country at heart,” she narrated. “He wished the team luck and told them that he looks forward to a victory in tonights game against Morocco,” she added. Meanwhile, during a pre-match press conference on Thursday, January 21, head coach Vincent Mashami acknowledged that Morocco are a ‘dangerous side’ but he was confident his players are up for the task. “Win for us is very important. We will be playing to get all the points, so we have to approach the game as the final,” the coach underscored. While Rwanda looks for a vital victory, Morocco started their title defence with a 1-0 win over debutants Togo on Monday – thanks to Yahya Jabrane’s solo goal from the spot.
