Sentimental Bitok eyes world championship ahead of Rwanda showdown

Malkia Strikers head coach Paul Bitok admits that Rwanda holds a special place in his heart ahead of Saturday’s Africa Nations Volleyball Championships semi-final match between the two nations at the Kigali Arena.

The experienced tactician who coached in Rwanda for ten years returned to the country to take charge of the Malkia and on Saturday, it will be a match between his former team and his current team. It is a fixture that he perhaps did not fancy but nonetheless he will have to guide his country of birth against a nation that showed him so much love.

The Saturday game has so much at stake as the two teams that go through to the final will automatically qualify for the World Volleyball Championship that will be staged in Netherlands and Poland next year. Bittok admits that he feels some pressure heading to the game.

"Normally when you meet a team that treated you well during the long period that you were with them has some form of pressure but I am confident that our team has the experience because we are used to competitions and we are ready. Our target is to get the World Championship ticket," he said.

Head of delegation who is also the Kenya Volleyball Federation president, Charles Nyaberi is confident that Malkia will not only qualify for the championship by reaching the final but will also beat Cameroon to revenge for the group match defeat they suffered in the hands of the West Africans.

"Our team is intact and has what it takes to lift this trophy, that I am sure of. We are going to reach the final, by reaching the final we would have qualified for the world championship, secondly, we are going to lift the trophy by beating Cameroon, we will revenge," Nyaberi said.