L-R: Amavubi vice captain Abdul Rwatubyaye and coach Torsten Frank Spittler
The newly appointed Amavubi head coach Torsten Frank Spittler has vowed to teach Amavubi players modern football and get rid of ‘kick and rush’ football.
“There is talent in this team and has to be developed. I’m here to win matches and to show the players that they can show not only kick and rush but also play modern football,” Spittler said in the press conference on Thursday.
Spittler was named Rwanda national football team head coach on November 1, which is his first-ever stint leading an African football team. He took over from Carlos Alos Ferrer, who stepped down from his position after 16 months in charge to become Belarus head coach.
He emphasized that he is the right man for the Amavubi job, despite the fact that his name is not popular in African football.
“I am not someone with a famous name, I’m someone who has now worked 30 years in football development, and Rwanda is a team that needs development.”
The 61-year-old acknowledged that Amavubi has a low chance of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup but insisted that his dream is to qualify the team.
“You have to have your dreams but you have to be realistic. The chances to qualify will be very small, but I’m here to win matches. It has never happened before that the team with a 140th place on the FIFA ranking qualified for the World Cup.”
The German coach hinted at the short period he has as a new coach to get the team ready for the first two matches of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers, stating that all players look the same to him.
“The time is very short, I will do my best for these two matches where the situation is very difficult. I saw them (players) for the first time on Sunday.
“There are a lot of difficulties coming together because of the shortage of time. They (players) are black, they have nearly the same hairstyle, they have black eyes, and I have a staff who are also all black, so it’s very difficult.”
Abdu Rwatubyaye
Rwanda national team, who are positioned in Group C alongside Nigeria, South Africa, Benin, Zimbabwe, and Lesotho, will start their quest for a first-ever World Cup spot taking on Zimbabwe and South Africa on November 15 and 21, respectively, at Huye Stadium.
Speaking about these games, Spittler pointed out that he expects his team to show a good performance and good match with good result.
He pledged to scout a lot players, who play overseas, for Amavubi as part of his commitment to a long-term project for the team.
“It’s decided that my wife will come here, the plan is to stay for a longer time, it’s not planned to leave after three weeks, but time will show what will happen.
Amavubi vice captain Abdul Rwatubyaye noted that the team’s major target is to not lose any home games and it’s a good opportunity for the players to start the World Cup Qualifiers campaign with new coach.
“The coach has a strong mentality and wants us to learn. He wants to show us how football is structured so that we can begin the process of building the national team,” Rwatubyaye told the media.
