688 coaches fight for Rwanda national team job

Either jobs are scarce or managing Rwanda national team is the most attractive job on the continent.

Whatever the case, the Rwanda Football Federation (FERWAFA) faces an arduous task to hire a new coach.

The federation announced through a statement on Wednesday that it had received a mountain of application letters from prospective candidates for the Amavubi hot seat.

RWANDA SENIOR MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM (AMAVUBI) HEAD COACH UPDATE.

AMAKURU KU GIKORWA CYO GUSHAKA UMUTOZA MUKURU W’AMAVUBI (ABAGABO)#TuriAmavubi💪🏿

🇷🇼🇷🇼🇷🇼 pic.twitter.com/pLNeyDhgOE

— Rwanda FA (@FERWAFA) February 11, 2026

“The Rwanda Football Federation (FERWAFA) informs the public that it has received a total of 688 valid applications following the international call for the position of head coach of the Rwanda senior men’s national team (Amavubi),” reads the statement.

“FERWAFA will now proceed with the pre-selection phase, based on coaching qualifications, experience with senior national teams, and participation in major international competitions, including the AFCON and FIFA World Cup qualification campaigns.”

What next for 688 coaches vying for Rwanda job?

The federation says the next stage in the recruitment process will involve inviting the applicants for technical evaluation and interviews before “the final appointment is made.”

FERWAFA did not state timelines for hiring the coach let alone the identities of the applicants, but wants a new man in charge to replace Adel Amrouche.

The football governing body of the East African country terminated the Algeria-born Belgian’s contract in January 2026 barely after 11 months on the job, citing serious contractual breaches.

A statement from the federation justified its decision to let go Amrouche, stating: “This decision follows a thorough review of serious contractual breaches as specified in Article 17.2 of the employment contract. Mr. Amrouche was provided sufficient time to address these matters prior to this decision.

FERWAFA appointed Amrouche in March last year

However, the former Tanzania national team coach insisted that he did not breach his contract.

Amrouche presided over seven games, six of them were in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, winning once—1-0 over Zimbabwe—five defeats and one draw.

FERWAFA appointed Amrouche in March last year to replace German coach Torsten Spittler, who resigned in December 2024.

The federation is racing against time to recruit a coach to take charge of Amavubi during the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, which will get underway in March.