The allure of witnessing the star-studded Super Eagles play live against the Amavubi in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying Group D match at Amahoro Stadium in Kigali brought Rwandan President Paul Kagame back to the stadium on Tuesday after an eight-year absence.
In the stands at the 45,508-seat BK Arena, where the Amuvambi narrowly avoided the Super Eagles’ assault, the 66-year-old former military officer was the centre of attention.
Kagame last attended a match in 2016 when Rwanda lost 2-1 at home to DR Congo in the African Nations Championship (CHAN) quarterfinals.
He has since not attended any football match in Rwanda amid concerns primarily associated with corruption and witchcraft that shaped Rwandan football over the last couple of years.
Kagame on numerous occasions cited these issues as reasons for stepping back from attending games, calling them “primitive” practices that hinder the sport’s development. But he finally set them aside in order to watch the stars of the Super Eagles in action.
“The reason I stopped watching football games was partly because of corruption and witchcraft in tournaments. I can’t be part of that,” he said during the 2024 National Dialogue ‘Umushyikirano’ in January.
He had previously raised the same concerns in August 2023, when he slammed officials who spent money on witchcraft rather than investing in their teams’ proper development.
In July 2023, Kagame urged football officials to address issues such as bribery, unprofessionalism, and referee manipulation, warning that if these problems were not resolved, he would weigh in to ensure improvement in various aspects.
