Al Hilal Omdurman coach pleads for evening matches

Al Omdurman coach Laurentiu Reghecampf has requested the Rwanda Football Federation to allow his team to play some domestic league games at night as most of his players are fasting.

Al Hilal lead the Rwanda Premier League standings, sitting three points ahead of second-placed Al Merrikh after round 18 of games played. The leaders edged Gorilla FC 1-0 on Saturday.

The Romanian said all things being equal, his Sudanese team should easily be winning the Rwandan Premier League title owing to their depth in quality.

“I told you many times, we respect every opponent,” he said. “We are happy to be in this league, but I think the level for my team is very higher. If I have all the players ready for the games, I don’t think it is a problem winning the league because we play high quality football and we really have a very good team.”

Why Al Hilal Omdurman are competing in Rwanda

Forced to relocate from Sudan due to the ongoing war in the East African country, Al Hilal are campaigning in the Rwanda Premier League alongside rivals Al Merrikh.

For the Al Hilal coach, his wish is to see the rest of the teams in Rwanda benefitting from the two giants’ participation in the Rwandan domestic league.

He said: “Our opponents should try to manage their games to take that for their advantage and to see some things they can develop in the future.”

Reghecampf and challenge of managing Al Hilal

However, for Reghecampf the challenge is how to manage his squad when most of his players are fasting in the observance of Ramadan.

“You cannot ask all the players to train, they cannot train and they cannot eat. They are half asleep and it is difficult for us to manage this. For us we train at 8:30 to give a chance to our players to pray and have a small breakfast.

“For us, it is difficult to manage this team. That is why we ask the federation to ask the possibility to play at night,” the coach said.

Sporting activities in Sudan were suspended due to the ongoing war and security instability, forcing clubs to seek alternative competitions abroad.