Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The senior national men’s football team is still stuck in Juba with less than 24 hours before they take on Congo Brazzaville in a must-win Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Qualifiers match on Thursday, March 23.
The match will be staged at the Stade Alphonse Massemba-Debat in the capital, Brazzaville.
The delegation of 26 players and the coaching staff, was supposed to leave the country on Tuesday. The trip did not materialise.
“They were supposed to travel yesterday, but we did not receive landing permission from Congo early enough,” SSFA vice president Udwar told City Review Sports.
A source within the team, however, said that there are other teething problems that caused the delay.
“Even the junior team (that played at the CAF Under 20 Championship) are yet to be paid their allowances,” our source said anonymously.
The federation said the team will travel later today even as concerns about South Sudan’s chances of squeezing out a positive result away are being raised.
“But the important thing is that the team will travel on a specially scheduled flight, and I’m hopeful they will still spend fewer hours,” added the federation.
A direct flight from Juba to Brazaville takes about three hours. However, players needed to get to the match venue at least 24 hours before kick-off, to acclimatise with the weather and shake off jet lag.
After taking on Congo, the Bright Stars will then travel to Tanzania for the return leg set for March 27.
South Sudan must win all their home and away fixtures against the Congolese in order to keep their hopes of qualifying for the continental show tournament alive.
Source: The City Review South Sudan
For More News And Analysis About South-Sudan Follow Africa-Press
