Juba, South Sudan,
June 25, 2021 – The members of the delegation from the South Sudan national senior men’s football team were tested at BIOLAB, a medical laboratory in Juba prior to their departure for the Arab FIFA World Cup 2021 in Qatar.
A statement from the South Sudan Football Association (SSFA) says the PRC test was conducted at BioLab as a health facility recognized and recommended by the Ministry of Health contrary to speculations that the members of the delegation were tested at MedBlue Laboratory.
“The South Sudan Football Association (SSFA) would like to announce and make this statement very clear to the general public that, the delegation for the senior national football team that traveled to Qatar to participate in the qualification match of the FIFA Arab Cup 2021, did their PCR test on 17th June at BIOLAB Laboratory in Juba,” it says.
“BIOLAB Laboratory is one of the labs authorized by the Ministry of Health in the Republic of South Sudan to collect samples and issue PCR test certificates,” it says.
Detailing the test results, the SSFA revealed that 42 samples were tested but only one returned positive and that the person was excluded from the delegation.
The rest of the delegation left for Juba International Airport with a COVID-19 negative certificate on 18th June 2021.
Upon arrival in Doha, the Qatari capital, members of the delegation were tested and six of the results were positive; it was on 19th June 2021 placing the testing credibility of BIOLAB under scrutiny.
The national football governing body urged the general public to leave MedBlue Lab out of the saga as the institution was not involved in handling their welfare prior to departure.
“SSFA is therefore making it clear to the general public that, reports circulating in the social media that the test was carried out at MedBlue Lab isn’t true,” it says.
On Monday this week, FIFA announced about 19 members of the South Sudanese delegation to Qatar were self-isolating, denting hope of qualification and participation in the Arab FIFA World Cup 2021. The report further exposed South Sudan’s weak health system.
