Claude Niyomugabo insisted APR players' bodies were exhausted, so they delayed reporting to the Amavubi camp.

The left-back explained that he and his teammates needed a short break because they had been playing too many games with APR this season.

"There were rationale behind delaying to report to the national team. We frequently played on Wednesdays and Saturdays due to a lot of rescheduled league matches, national team, and Champions League games. The body is not made of metal, we were exhausted. We thus requested a rest, and they agreed," said APR skipper Niyomugabo.

"We found the group in good condition and determined, so we proceeded to their level. Our only target in South Sudan is to win and perform well in the second leg."

Amavubi began the preparations for the South Sudan clash on Sunday, 15 December. However, the 10 APR players who were called up to Mulisa's 31-man squad failed to arrive at the camp punctually, as their side requested a two-day rest.

Two APR players – Yunusu Nshimiyimana and Frodouard Mugiraneza – were afterward dropped from the final 24-man squad that will travel to Juba, South Sudan, on Thursday, 19 December.

Rwanda will square off against South Sudan in the second round of CHAN 2024 Qualifiers, with a first-leg tie taking place at Juba Stadium on Sunday, 22 December, while the second will be played at Amahoro Stadium six days later.

Amavubi eliminated Djibouti in the first round of the Qualifiers with a 3-1 aggregate win, whilst South Sudan beat Kenya 3-1 over two legs.

Niyomugabo also said that he was not offended by Kevin Muhire's comments about him after the Rwandan derby and had not got him in trouble with APR.

Rayon Sports skipper Muhire had claimed that Niyomugabo warned him during the Rayon Sports v APR game to be cautious of Taddeo Lwanga to avoid being injured by the Ugandan midfield.

However, Muhire later told B&B Kigali that it was a cheeky dig at the APR captain and that Niyomugabo didn't say that to him, stating that he was "entertaining people because football is entertainment."