Member Association Focus: Burundi
Our weekly Member Association focus falls on Burundi, a member of the Confédération Africaine de Football since 1972.
NATIONAL TEAM
Burundi are only three points behind leaders Cote d’Ivoire in the Group F standings of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers, making next month’s clashes with Cote d’Ivoire and the Seychelles in March key to their hopes of qualification. Burundi, however, will have to cede home advantage because of the lack of adequate stadia in the country. They have used Abidjan, Dar-es-Salaam and Lilongwe as an alternate home venues. Burundi finished third in their TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations qualifying group last November, behind Senegal and Burkina Faso, who qualified for the final in Morocco. Burundi’s women’s team are playing Burkina Faso later this month in their TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier. Both legs of the first round tie will be played in Bamako. Burundi’s women have previously qualified for the finals, competing in the 2022 finals in Morocco.
CLUBS
Vital’O represented Burundi for an 11th time in the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League but were handed a heavy 10-0 aggregate thrashing by Young Africans from neighbouring Tanzania in the first round. In the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup Rukinzo were competing for a second time and came through the first round by beating Horseed from Somalia 2-0 on aggregate. But in the second round they lost narrowly 1-0 in each leg to CS Sfaxien, the Tunisian club who have won the Confederation Cup more times than any other team. PVP Buyeni represented Burundi in the qualifiers for last year’s TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Champions League but drew two and lost one of their group games in the CECAFA tournament, held in Addis Ababa last August.
LEADERSHIP
Alexandre Muyenge was elected in December 2021 as president of the Burundi Football Federation. He is a police commissioner and had previously been the long-serving president of the federation’s commission on security and fair pay.
HISTORY
Burundian club Vital’O proved a surprise package in 1992 when they reached the African Cup Winners’ Cup final after a giant killing run that included semi-final success over Al Merreikh of Sudan. It was a rare appearance for a club from East Africa in continental club competition final and the first major achievement by a team from Burundi. Against Africa Sports from Cote d’Ivoire in the final, Vital’O, with the Algerian Rachid Chradi as coach, drew 1-1 in the first leg in Bujumbura but were beaten 4-0 in the return in Abidjan.