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Rwandan player suspended one day after scoring against Harambee Stars
Reading Time: 2min | Tue. 16.11.21. | 12:21
The midfielder scored in the 65th minute to hand Rwanda the consolation goal.
Barely a day after notching a goal for Rwanda in the Qatar FIFA 2022 World Cup qualifiers 2-1 loss to Harambee Stars, Olivier Niyonzima was slapped with an indefinite suspension by the Rwandan federation.
According to reports in Rwanda, the player went missing from the team hotel in Nairobi after scoring the goal and missed travelling with the squad back to Rwanda.
Rwanda Football Federation (FERWAFA) on Monday morning announced the midfielder was indefinitely suspended citing misconduct.
FERWAFA iramenyesha abanyarwanda bose ko NIYONZIMA Olivier ahagaritswe igihe kitazwi "undetermined" mu Ikipe y'Igihugu kubera imyitwarire idahwitse.
— Rwanda FA (@FERWAFA) November 16, 2021
Tuboneyeho kumenyesha abo bireba bose ko FERWAFA itazihanganira uwo ari we wese uzagaragaza imyitwarire mibi mu @AmavubiStars pic.twitter.com/AEghmGRLDW
“FERWAFA informs all Rwandans that Niyonzima Olivier has been indefinitely suspended from the national team due to misconduct,” read a statement from the federation.
Further reports according to The Update, a Rwandan news outlet indicate that Niyonzima had a heated argument with his teammates disagreeing on who would wear the number 16 jersey.
Sugira Erneste ended up donning the number 16 jersey in the game but the decision did not go down well with the rest of the team members with the decision to suspend him coming soon after.
#VIDEO : Nyuma y’uko Niyonzima Olivier 'Seif' atsindiye Amavubi igitego hari amashusho yagaragayemo ari mu kabyiniro i Nairobi nyuma y'umukino.
— RadioTv10 Rwanda (@Radiotv10rwanda) November 16, 2021
Biravugwa ko ariyo mpamvu @FERWAFA yahise itangaza ko yahagaritse uyu mukinnyi. pic.twitter.com/x9P7vqs9DR
A video of him in one of the Nairobi clubs after the game has surfaced.
After the game, it is alleged that Niyonzima did not spend the night in the team hotel with his whereabouts still unknown.
The midfielder pulled a goal back for Rwanda in the 65th minute, tapping in a freekick that injected some belief into the Amavubi as they put Harambee Stars on the back foot.
