By Kei Emmanuel Duku
South Sudan Football governing body, SSFA has banned unofficially recognized or unregistered Sub Local Football Associations from participating in the upcoming National Championship expected to take place this year.
In total, there are 32 Local Football Associations across the country however only sixteen of them are officially registered and recognized by SSFA and all the sixteen officially registered FA will be eligible to participate in this year’s edition of the South Sudan National Championship.
Out of the sixteen unregistered or unrecognized local Football Associations affected by the ban include Nimule and Kapoeta all under the Torit Local Football Association, Mundri under Yambio, Terekeka under the Juba Local Football Association, and many others across the country.
Previously, the South Sudan Cup winner from Nimule Local Football Association would have a Playoff with the Champion of the Sub FA and whoever emerges victorious will face the champion from the parent Torit Local Football Association and the eventual winner will represent Torit FA in the South Sudan Cup.
But when it comes to the National Championship, Nimule, Kapoeta, Terekeka and others Sub FAs will represent their respective sub-FA at the National Championship without qualification matches.
While speaking to this Publication, South Sudan Football Association General Secretary, Victor Lawrence Lual stated that only the sixteen unregistered Sub FA will be allowed to participate in the South Sudan Cup, unlike the National Championship.
“We have not omitted or banned them but the National Championship is Local Football Associations which are registered so they will continue to participate in the South Sudan Cup till we formalize with them,” said Lawrence.
However, it is still unclear what triggered SSFA to come up with the new guidelines contrary to the other years which allowed unregistered Sub FAs to part take in the previous years.
The South Sudan Football Association Statutes under Article 11, on membership, states that The General Assembly shall decide whether to admit, suspend, or expel a Member, and admission may be granted membership if the applicant fulfills the requirements of SSFA per these Statutes.
Furthermore, Article 13, of SSFA statutes on admission went on to state that any legal person (FA) wishing to become a Member of SSFA shall apply in writing to the general secretariat of SSFA.
The application must be accompanied by a copy of its legal valid statutes or constitutional document and a declaration that it will comply at all times with the Statutes, regulations, and decisions of SSFA.
Article 14, states that the procedure for admission shall be regulated by the Board of Directors and they shall request the General Assembly either admit an applicant or not but the applicant has to state the reasons for their application to the General Assembly.
In the last General Assembly held in Wau in 2019, all the sixteen unregistered local football associations submitted their applications to become members of the South Sudan Football governing body SSFA, however, none of them were granted admission.