Siasia, Butler in line for Amavubi job

George Leekens

The Rwanda Football Federation (Ferwafa) has announced an eight-man shortlist for the Amavubi coaching job that went vacant last August after the Northern Irishman Johnny McKinstry was fired.

Nigerian Samson Siasia, who led the Dream Team to bronze at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil, has been named among the favourable candidates to take over the Amavubi.

Belgian coach Georges Leekens, who resigned from his role in charge of Algeria last month after failing to guide the Desert Foxes out of the group stages, along with former Burkina Faso and Jordan
coach Paul Put are in the running for the top job in Rwanda.

The other candidates include Botswana coach Peter Butler, who is still in charge of the Zebras, Raoul Savoy, Jose Rui Lopes Aguas, Antoine Hey and Winfried Schafer.

Ferwafa president Vincent Degaule Nzamwita said: “We want to select a coach who will take us to the next level."

The newly appointed coach will begin with preparing the Amavubi for the Chan 2018 qualifiers that commence in July. Rwanda will face Tanzania between July 14-16 in Dar es Salaam before hosting the Taifa Stars in Kigali the following weekend in the second round.

In the third and last round of qualification, the winner of this tie will take on the winner between Uganda and the winner between Somalia and South Sudan who face off in the first round.

Rwanda were also drawn in Group H in the Afcon 2019 qualifiers along with Afcon 2015 winners Ivory Coast, Guinea and Central African Republic.

Amavubi coaching shortlist
1. Antoine Hey (Germany)
2. Georges Leekens (Belgium)
3. Jose Rui Lopes Aguas (Portugal)
4. Paul Put (Belgium)
5. Peter James Butler (England)
6. Winfried Schafer (Germany)
7. Raoul Savoy (Switzerland)
8. Samson Siasia (Nigeria)