Japheth Ogila
Africa-Press – South-Sudan. South Sudan’s junior teams may be poised for a disappointment at the forthcoming under-17 and under-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals, to be held early next year. This comes as it is revealed that the two teams who have secured their first-ever appearances at the continental showpieces have yet to report to camp, despite the fact that the championships are only two months away. The elephant in the room is the lack of funds, which has forced the federation to send out a passionate appeal to well-wishers and the government to move in and remedy the situation. “We were supposed to start the preparations in December, but we could not do so in time due to a lack of resources,” South Sudan Football Association president Augustino Maduot said. The eight-team Under-20 Championship will be held in Egypt, between February 18 and March 12. The Under-17, which will be held in two cities – Oran and Blida, in Algeria, will run between April 8 and 30, 2023. But while South Sudan is looking forward to her double debut at the junior events, Madut said that the team’s preparations have been slowed down by a lack of resources. “We are hopeful that in January 2023, we will start the preparations for the two teams,” he noted. He is now appealing to both the government and the private sector for assistance for these talented boys, who he believes are well prepared for the events. If everything goes as planned, the two teams will play a couple of build-up matches with other top teams in the continent, at the tail end of their preparations. “We are also attempting to scout some players from outside the country to strengthen the teams because the AFCON tournament will include all South Sudanese players.” Madut said that the two teams need at least two million dollars to adequately prepare for the two events. “If we get something like $400,000 now, we will be able to start preparation. But we need at least $2 million to fully prepare the two teams for the tournament,” he added.
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