Black and White! Rusizi based Espoir FC and Spring Hope FC kicked off their second division campaign

Having been relegated from the first division, Espoir FC will hope to do their almost with newly hired former Rayon Sports coach Lomami Marcel who’s been tasked with getting the club back into the Rwanda premier league via promotion from the second division next season.

On the other side, there is Spring Hope FC, one of the three newly promoted sides from the third division. They made it to the second division for the first time just four years after they started their journey as Spring Hope Academy. It’s been a hard-luck story with a cheerful endpoint.

Rusizi people or simply Indatwamumihigo have two teams in the second division for the first time. But, these two sides have different courses: Espoir FC will fight for the promotion back to the first division (for the unsettled mission) while Spring Hop FC will be looking to their ‘talents detection and development’ course.

How did they get here?

Espoir FC or Indatwamukibuga relegated from the first division after one of the worst campaigns they’d ever witnessed: Four wins and 21 losses in 30 games, 14 goals in 30 games, 17 points out of 90. They deservedly relegated with the fewest wins and goals scored, and what’s more, with the highest number of defeats and goals conceded.  It was the season to forget at all.

Spring Hope Football Club was promoted from the third division just four years after they started their journey as Spring Hope Academy, and one year since they started playing as a professional football club.  They topped the Western group, above Nyamasheke FC, Muganza Training Center, and AS Karongi.

They made it to the 1/8 and then to the quarter-final before losing the semi-final match. Fortunately, they joined the finalists Tsinda Batsinde and City Boys as FERWAFA came up with the decision to promote three teams.

Spring Hope president Kumbuka Jean Baptist admits that he never dreamed of the second division promotion so soon like this.

Matchday one results

Espoir FC kicked off their campaign away to Vision FC. The game started at 12:00 at Mumena Stadium, Kigali. Espoir FC lost 2-1. They will hope to do better when they host Gicumbi FC at Rusizi Stadium, on the Saturday of 11^th December, at 15:00.

Spring Hope FC shone in front of their supporters as Nyandwi Nicolas’ 6th-minute goal earned them the first second-division win in the club’s history. They travel to Shyorongi for Intare FC on Saturday, 11^th December.