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Rwanda confirms McKinstry as new national coach

Xinhua, March 21, 2015 Adjust font size:

Irishman Johnny McKinstry has been officially appointed as the new coach of the Rwanda men's national football team, replacing British Stephen Constantine who resigned in October last year, the president of Rwanda Football Federation, Vincent Degaule Nzamwita confirmed Friday in Kigali.

Speaking during a press briefing in Kigali, Nzamwita said that McKinstry, 29, was chosen ahead of Hans Michael Weiss, Jose Manuel Ferreira de Morais, and Engin Firat.

"With the recruitment of the new coach, we hope the national team will play better in the next matches," Nzamwita said.

After their elimination in the preliminary round at the 2015 AFCON that was held Equatorial Guinea, both the Rwandan football body and the Ministry of Sports and Culture said the East African nation needed a competent coach.

McKinstry's first match will be an international friendly match against Zambia on March 29 in Lusaka. Rwanda is preparing for the 2016 African Nations Championship (Chan) here in January.

McKinstry coached Sierra Leone as a senior manager.

Rwanda has never made it to the World Cup finals and only qualified once for the African Cup of Nations, in 2004. Endite