Elvince Joshua
Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The 22nd FIFA Men’s World Cup in Qatar kicks off this Sunday and continues through December, breaking from the established tradition of playing in June and July to coincide with the offseason in most European leagues.
Although South Sudan will not be part of the competitions, the 2022 FIFA World Cup will be one of a kind, featuring players of South Sudanese roots who earned call-ups to national teams in the foreign countries where they enjoy citizenship. The City Review looks at the athletes and their backgrounds.
Awer Bul Mabil
He scored one of the penalties that secured Australia’s place in the competition.
Australia was in Group D alongside Denmark, defending champion France, and Tunisia.
According to Wikipedia, Awer Bul Mabil was born on September 15, 1995, as a South Sudanese refugee who grew up in Kenya, and is now a professional soccer player for La Liga club Cádiz. He is a member of Australia’s national team at the international level.
Mabil first began playing soccer at the Kenyan refugee camp at around the age of five, stating: “We would just go outside and start kicking around.” “It was not structured, and there was little else to do.”
He made his senior debut at Campbelltown City (in the FFSA National Premier League) in 2012. Later that year, he was signed by Adelaide United in the A-League after outwitting many defenders in the FFSA National Premier League with his pace and dribbling skills.
In February 2022, after being sidelined at Midtjylland owing to his unwillingness to sign a further contract after seven years in Denmark, Mabil was loaned to Kasmpaşa in Turkey until the end of the season.
In May 2022, it was confirmed that Mabil had signed with Spanish La Liga club Cádiz for four seasons.
In August 2013, Mabil was called up by Australia for the COTIF Tournament in L’Alcdia, Spain. The tournament was used by the FFA to prepare players for their successful 2014 AFC U-19 Championship qualification campaign.
A citizen of South Sudan by birth, he was cleared by FIFA to play for Australia in March 2014 after a year-long process to obtain a birth certificate and gain exemption from FIFA eligibility rules due to his refugee status.
He played for Australia in the 2014 AFC U-19 Championship, appearing in all three of their games against Uzbekistan, the United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia.
After showing impressive form with FC Midtjylland, Mabil was called up to the senior team for the first time. Participating in the Socceroos’ first training camp under new coach Graham Arnold.
Thomas Deng
Thomas Deng is a professional footballer who plays as a central defender for the Japanese club Albirex Niigata.
He was born on March 20, 1997, into a family of South Sudanese refugees in Nairobi, Kenya. He and his family were fleeing conflict in South Sudan and eventually resettled in Adelaide, South Australia, in 2003, when Deng was six years old.
Club career
Deng’s first club was the Adelaide Blue Eagles. After the family moved to Melbourne in 2011, he made his senior football debut as a 16-year-old in 2013 at Western Eagles F.C. under then-manager Budala Barei-Nikić in the Victorian State League Division 3.
The following season, the youngster moved to nearby Green Gully SC, where manager Bob Stojcevski recruited Deng to play for the club’s u20 side.
He was eventually promoted to the senior team and made 13 first-team appearances in the NPL Victoria in 2014.
Deng made his senior team debut for Melbourne Victory in the 2015 FFA Cup against Balmain Tigers.
In June 2016, he moved to Jong PSV on a one-year loan deal. After making five appearances, he returned to Melbourne Victory at the end of the season.
Following his performance at the 2020 AFC U-23 Championship, Deng left Melbourne Victory in January 2020 to join the Japanese club Urawa Red Diamonds.
He was part of the main squad of the Olyroos at the 2016 AFC U-23 Championship and put on an extremely impressive display throughout the tournament, garnering high praise from respected Australian pundits: Geoff Fullgrabe, Alan Vucenik, and Craig Foster.
In October 2018, Deng was named to the Socceroos squad for their training camp in the UAE and a friendly against Kuwait.
Garang Mawien Kuol
Garang Mawien Kuol is one of the upcoming stars in the world of football.
He was born on September 15, 2004, in Khartoum, to South Sudanese parents. At the age of six, he moved with his family to Australia as refugees, where they settled in Shepparton, Victoria.
Kuol played junior football for the Goulburn Valley Suns and worked his way through their youth pathways before attracting the interest of A-League teams at the age of 16.
Kuol signed a deal with the Central Coast Mariners Academy in January 2021. He made his debut for the Mariners’ senior side at 17 years of age as a substitute in their 6–0 win against APIA Leichhardt in the 2021 FFA Cup on a substitute in their 6-0 win against APIA Leichhardt in 2021 FFA Cup on December 21, 2021, and scored seven minutes after coming on.
On April 5, 2022, Kuol made his A-League Men debut and scored a goal in the Mariners’ 5–0 win over the Wellington Phoenix.
Kuol was called up to an Australian under-20 talent identification camp in August 2022. In October 2022, he was called up to the Australian under-20 side for the 2023 AFC U-20 Asian Cup qualification matches in Kuwait. Kuol’s coach at the Central Coast Mariners, Nick Montgomery, was critical of the selection, arguing that Kuol would have better chances of selection for the 2022 FIFA World Cup by playing consistently for the Mariners in the 2022–23 A-League.
Kuol scored in Australia’s second qualifying game, a win over India, with a long-range shot.
In September 2022, Kuol earned his first senior national team call-up, being selected in the Australian squad to play two friendlies against New Zealand.
Denis Zakaria
Denis Lemi Zakaria Lako Lado was born on November 20, 1996. He is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a central defensive midfielder for Premier League club Chelsea on loan from Juventus.
Born in Geneva, Switzerland, to a South Sudanese father and a Congolese mother. Zakaria began his career with the local club Servette.
Zakaria joined Young Boys in June 2015 for an undisclosed fee, signing a four-year contract. He made his Swiss Super League debut on July 18, 2015, against FC Zürich in a 1–1 away draw, replacing Alexander Gerndt after 79 minutes.
In June 2017, Zakaria signed a five-year contract with Borussia Mönchengladbach. He was transferred as a replacement for Mahmoud Dahoud, who left the club for Borussia Dortmund. The transfer fee paid to Young Boys for Zakaria was reported as €10 million. Zakaria scored a total of 11 goals in 125 appearances for Borussia Mönchengladbach.
On January 31, 2022, with six months remaining on his contract, Zakaria moved to Serie A club Juventus on a four-and-a-half-year contract, in deal worth €4.5 million. On 6 February, Zakaria scored on his debut in the 61st minute, helping his side beat Hellas Verona 2–0.
On September 1, 2022, Zakaria was loaned to Premier League club Chelsea till the end of the 2022–23 season, with the option of a permanent transfer at the end of the season. He made his debut in the club’s final UEFA Champions League group stage match, scoring the winning goal of a 2–1 victory against Dinamo Zagreb.
Zakaria played for various Swiss youth national teams. He could have represented either Switzerland, South Sudan, or Congo at a senior level due to being born in Switzerland and having a South Sudanese father and a Congolese mother.
Zakaria made his debut for the senior Switzerland national team in a friendly 2–1 loss to Belgium on May 28, 2016. He was part of the squad for the 2016 European Championships. Zakaria was included in the 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
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