Rayon Sports president Jean Fidele Uwayezu has laughed off reports linking Tunisian coach Yamen Zelfani to a potential exit from the club.

Zelphani, 43, was announced as Blues’ new head coach on July 10 where he inked a one-year deal. He replaced Burundian Francis Haringingo who left the club at the end of the 2022-23 season after he opted against extending his stay.

The tactician won Rayon Sports fans’ hearts when the team thrashed APR FC 3-0 to win the FERWAFA Super Cup. Reports indicate that Zelfani has attracted the attention of a number of big African clubs which expressed their interest in his services and he has since received offers that he could find it hard to turn down.

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It has recently been reported that the coach could be tempted to leave the Blues but Uwayezu dismissed the reports which he just described as speculations during the press conference held on Thursday, September 7, at the club’s headquarters in Kimihurura, Kigali.

“This is my first time hearing about this (Zelfani’s exit). I think no one would know this before I do because I work hand in hand with him as a person in charge of the club, so, this is just a rumor,” Uwayezu told journalists as quoted by Time Sports, adding: “He is fully committed to this club, he is still under our contract and I don’t see anything that can trigger it. He is busy with his technical staff and players preparing for the upcoming Confederations Cup match in Libya.”

The Blues are expected to begin their 2023-23 CAF Confederations Cup campaign on September 15, when they visit Al Hilal Benghazi in the second round of the continental competition which Uwayezu described as a ‘do or die.

“We take these two games as ‘do or die’ because of our ambitions. The biggest dream for every fan is to return to the group stages of this tournament or go further and we don’t take this as something impossible because we have done it before,” he said, adding: “Al Hilal is not a small team but it is not also a club that can scare us. We are giving it all, we are all working together to get there and we trust our coaching staff and the players alike.”

The 2023 Peace Cup champions are expected to leave for Libya on Tuesday, September 12, they are expected to Libya on Wednesday morning while it is expected to return on Saturday, September 16. Rayon reached the quarter-finals in the 2018 campaign and this is going to be their fifth appearance in Africa’s second-biggest club competition.