Rwanda Head Coach Vladimir Bosnjak throws in the towel after Rwanda lost all three games in their group stages at the FIBA AfroBasket 2021 Qualifiers.
Following the poor results in the 2021 AfroBasket Qualifiers first window from the national basketball team, it was clear that disasters would be expected. The National head coach submitted his resignation letter and the Rwanda Basketball Federation FERWABA immediately announced the compliance of the Serbian.
Prior to these games on RTV evening news, Mr. Richard Nyirishema, FERWABA Vice President said that these competitions will help them determine if the team is ready and if Vladimir Bosnjak can manage the Rwandans to the semifinals as Rwanda targets the top 4 places in the 2021 Afrobasket Championship.
In his words, Nyirishema said, “They are not friendly games. We want to get the players tested, we want to test the chemistry of the team, and to give Vladimir Bosnjak the chance to try as many players as possible as we cannot say it is a game preparation. It is a competition we are going in, and we want to be first in the group in these qualifiers. We will be having only three games and before we might have a friendly match … so, it is still a test, but we want to see how the team is ready and how Vladimir Bosnjak is ready to lead us in a higher position in the upcoming competition of Afrobasket in August. ”
In the events that took place at Kigali Arena, Rwanda was particularly upset after losing all three matches at home. Things went beyond the court because even in the post-match interviews, you felt that in the dressing room there was a bad atmosphere between the players and the coach.
Vladimir Bosnjak arrived in Rwanda in the summer of 2018 as the team prepared to travel to Nigeria to play in the World Cup Qualifiers. In the tournament, Rwanda came in the top three and advanced to the next round where they did not perform well, finishing in 5th place out of 6 teams. He later led the team in the Zone V and AfroCan qualifiers games that took place in Uganda where Rwanda finished fourth, something that had never happened before. Therefore, this means that even though he resigned from his job, his harvests were poor.
FERWABA also announced that while they are looking for a competent replacement, Henry Mwinuka as the acting Rwanda head coach will lead the National team. Mwinuka has been Vladimir’s assistant coach since September 2020.
