By Kei Emmanuel Duku
South Sudan Football Association (SSFA) Board of Directors has conducted a reshuffle in Bright Stars technical team.
The technical reshuffle sees Coach, Simon James Yor replace Rziki Hakim, while Seif Both Dhiu succeed Kennedy Santalino as Assistant Coach and Goalkeeping Coach, respectively.
The move reached during extraordinary board meetings, aimed at enhancing the performance of the Senior Men’s National Team.
According to information released on the association’s social media platforms, SSFA President Augustino Madout Parek presided over the meetings.
The changes are intended to bolster the growth and management of football within the nation.
These adjustments come as the Senior Men’s National Team prepares to play the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring Sudan in the upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers next week.
Prior to these changes, Coach Hakim served as Assistant Coach to Senior Men’s National Team Coach Nicholas Dupuis, and Santalino was the Goalkeeping Coach for the Bright Stars during the AFCON TotalEnergies qualifiers.
The team concluded the qualifiers at the bottom of the table, securing only three points from six matches, with losses to Uganda, South Africa, and Congo Brazzaville away, and victories in the return fixtures at Juba stadium.
Before his appointment as Assistant Coach to Nicholas Dupuis, Coach James recently led the Senior Women’s team, the Bright Starlets, during their 8-0 aggregate defeat to the Algerian Women’s team in the Women’s African Cup of Nations qualifiers.
The 31-man provisional squad, already summoned by Head Coach Dupuis, has begun training at Juba stadium. The squad predominantly features players selected from the South Sudan Premier League.
Notable new additions include Isaac Bida from Yei Lion Hunters among the three selected goalkeepers, Simon Dok and Nhiak Agany from Holy Family Rumbek, Chan Peter from Olympic FC of Renk, and Deng Dut of Wajuma FC, among others.