Gérard Buscher(L) with with Jimmy Mulisa
Gérard Buscher has been named as the caretaker of the Rwanda men’s national football team prior to their last AFCON Qualifiers contest against Senegal on September 9 at Huye Stadium.
The 62-year-old Frenchman has been the Rwanda Football Federation (FERWAFA) technical director since September 2022, and his new role won’t change that as he will continue in that capacity.
Buscher’s appointment comes on the heels of the Senegal Football Federation’s announcement that they will host their second leg and final Group L match of AFCON Qualifiers against Rwanda at Huye Stadium, following negotiations.
Since there was no stadium in Rwanda at the time that could host CAF games, Amavubi played their first leg against Lion of Teranga at Stade Me Abdoulaye Wade in Senegal.
The former OGC Nice gaffer replaces Carlos Alos Ferrer, who stepped down from his position last month to become Belarus national team head coach.
Jimmy Mulisa
Jimmy Mulisa and former Sunrise coach Innocent Seninga will assist him. Both Rwandan coaches are not strangers in Amavubi technical staff as Seninga assisted Vincent Mashami in 2018 and Mulisa assisted Ferrer.
It is understood that Buscher will only be in charge of Amavubi for that forthcoming AFCON Qualifier as the head coach is expected to be announced before the start of the 2026 World Cup African Qualifiers in November, where Amavubi placed in Group C alongside Nigeria, South Africa, Benin, Zimbabwe, and Lesotho.
The Rwanda football team are currently at the bottom of Group L of the AFCON Qualifiers with only two points and have already lost all hope of advancing to the AFCON, which will take place in Ivory Coast in January 2024.
Sadio Mane’s 98th-minute penalty goal secured a 1-0 triumph for Lions of Teranga over Amavubi in the first leg. Senegal’s CHAN head coach Pape Bouna Thiaw will lead Lions of Teranga, who will travel to Rwanda, instead of Aliou Cissé for undisclosed reasons.
