South Sudan: A youth football lesson

Juba (Sudan) - A youth football tournament is the first international sporting event in Southern Sudan. But amid historical difficulties the hosts seem to be prepared for it. Sudan is a stunning country and visitors from ten countries are here witnessing stark differences – almost like day and night – between venues Khartoum and Wedmedani in the north and Juba in the fledgling autonomous Southern Sudan.

By The Nation (Kenya), by Gishinga Njoroge | 08.24.2009


Khartoum, flourishing in Sudan’s newfound vast oil reserves, is growing at a phenomenal rate akin to the “new world” centres in the Middle East such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The city’s new infrastructure includes mega-structures such as marvelous bridges connecting the commercial capital Khartoum and satellite cities Omdurman and Bahri. There are fine multilane roads and large bus park stages sufficient for its public transport (mini-buses, quite like Kenyan “matatu”) system.

Other incredible facilities include provision of water and electricity to an estimated 98 per cent of the vast city’s residents, who are estimated at 2.3 million.

An education and skills training system has produced enough personnel to push ambitious national programmes to higher levels. For instance, an industry manufacturing two-seater aeroplanes and helicopters started churning them out of the production line earlier this year.

But Khartoum has not always had those impressive credentials of a much desired city to live in – until in the last few years after stepped-up exploitation of the country’s vast natural resources, including petroleum, iron, copper, chromium, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver and gold.

The civil war between the Republic of Sudan Government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in the South ended with a Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed in Kenya in 2005.

Southern Sudan, producer of most of the country’s oil, keeps a 50 per cent share of the oil revenues from the South while the other half goes to the North. Ninety-eight percent of Southern Sudan revenues come from the two oil producing states of Unity and Upper Nile, which have been feeding the region since 2005. The rest comes from non-oil revenues and grants from donor countries.

But due to many problems – the region has not seen peace since the 1950s – Southern Sudan is one of the world’s worst examples of deprivation. The region was granted autonomy in 1972 but, after a brief break in the war, hostilities broke out again.

The political Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and its armed wing, the SPLA, in 1983 started campaigns for the independence of the region but these culminated with the CPA over 20 years later. Over 50 years of virtually no development in the South has left region badly in need of assistance to catch up with rest of the world and, not least, other parts of northern Sudan.

The staging of some of the Cecafa Under-17 Youth Championship in the Southern Sudan capital of Juba, is, believe it or not, like hosting the Olympics. With their limited resources, Juba residents, including President Salva Kiir, enthusiastically welcomed the four Group C nations – Kenya, Uganda, and Zanzibar – with unbelievable warmth.

The Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Gabriel Changson Chang, took full charge of the competition in a decaying stadium which dates back to the 1950s but whose frantic efforts to make it usable were evident as workers pressed on with sprucing it up everyday.

President Kiir told a packed crowd during the opening ceremony that the event was historic because it would encourage Southern Sudanese youth to engage in sports and integrate with their peers in the neighbouring states.

The Sports Minister said: “This is not only our first ever international sports competition to organise but, indeed, the first international event of any kind. Everyone will benefit in building organisational capacity.”

The challenges facing not only sports people but everyone in Juba are immense. Apart from the stadium, there are only two or three other open grounds where someone can kick a football. A lot of ground in Juba, or Southern Sudan for that matter, is dangerous. The war left many places “spiked” with mine bombs and are dangerous to trend.

Basic agriculture, building of houses and road contruction can only take place after experts – from United Nations, NGOs and volunteer bodies – have combed the ground to detonate mines. But there aren’t enough of these experts.

After Saturday’s matches, Kenya’s campaign in the championship appeared to have ended after losing their second match 4-1 against Uganda. In their opener last Thursday, the Kenyan boys were beaten 3-1 by Zanzibar. Today they play Ethiopia, whom they must beat by at least 2-0 or be eliminated.

But the malaise of Kenyan youth football has already been exposed. Whereas the selection has a nationwide representation, little attention was paid to their preparation. Many in the bunch, for instance, only got to know each other over the days they have been in Juba. The youngsters are not seasoned professionals to meet and make a cohesive team within four days.

The Uganda and Zanzibar coaches confirmed they have structures for consistent age group teams. One would have been led to believe that, since the early season staging of the Copa Coca-Cola Youth tournament in Kenya, a standing Under-17 team which progressed to an international tournament in South Africa was in place.

That is not true. The U-17 team was continued to be broken and reshuffled and now has no ‘face of Copa’. In the current squad of 20 there are only eight ‘Copa survivors’: Frederick Odhiambo (although injured in Juba), Ian Otieno, Robinson Mwangi, Wilson Kimani, Yusuf Ahmed, Feisal Iddi, Job Tinyo and Daniel Mwaura.

Coach Rajab Iddi was bitter about the approach of managing the team. He said: “There were too many people jostling for the running of the team and I honestly had to fight interference. It’s a shame that the team was literally cobbled up and there was virtually nil training.”

Kenya had their best chance to put a team into lengthy training. The tournament was on the calendar for the entire year and was actually previously to be held in Kenya. Even though they cite lack of money for not running age group national teams, Kenyan authorities had an all-expenses-paid invitation to the Cecafa event but they still would not prepare their team well.

Monday’s fixtures: Juba: Kenya v Ethiopia (8am, followed by a grand group closing carnival and closing ceremony), Zanzibar v Uganda (4.30pm); Khartoum: Tanzania v Somalia (9.30pm), Sudan v Malawi (9.30pm); Wadmedani: Burundi v Rwanda (9.30pm).