Juba, South Sudan, 21 May 2021 – The South Sudan Ministry of Youth and Sports has denied South Sudan national team Bright Stars from participating in the FIFA Arab Cup Tournament hosted in Qatar.
Dr. Albino Bol Dhieu, the Minister of Youths and Sports told people familiar with the development that the decision to suspend the participation was a result of failure to follow proper procedures.
A player who spoke to Nyamilepedia on condition of anonymity said the Bright stars were supposed to begin training at Buluk training ground prior to their preliminary fixture against Jordan next month, but that has not been allowed to take place.
“The Minister of Youth and Sports Dr. Albino Bol has banned our participation as a national football team from the FIFA Arab Cup,” he said.
Mr. Bol said the reason why he ordered the ban against South Sudan Football Association (SSFA) from participating in the FIFA Arab Cup tournament was a failure of the SSFA administration to follow the rules and regulations that require the involvement of the sports ministry which he is in charge of at decision-making process.
In a statement seen by Nyamilepedia, Bol said he would reverse his decision on the condition that the South Sudan Football Association writes a formal apology to the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
Foreign-based players including one player identified as Abraham Majok, who should have touched down yesterday have had their tickets canceled. The Arab cup is a FIFA sanctioned tournament seen as a replacement to the traditional FIFA confederations cup.
South Sudan was invited as a guest participant replacing Senegal because of their improved performances last year and to give them a platform to showcase their talent to the world.
South Sudan is in Group C of the tournament together with Morocco and Saudi Arabia. Jordan, Palestine, and Comoros are some potential participants under the Q6 in Group C.
