By Kei Emmanuel Duku
Next week, 1st May 2024, will mark official start of South Sudan National football League, the national football governing body, has disclosed.
The association had initially set April 28th this year as starting date for the league; however, the decision was revised after some of the local football associations failed to meet deadline for submitting the champions.
In a meeting chaired by Augustino Maduot Parek, the President of SSFA, on Monday, the board of directors approved the budget for the competition and the two hosting cities.
There will be a total of 12 teams participating in this year’s edition to be hosted in Wau and Juba, divided into three sub-groups consisting of four teams each.
Group A will play in Wau, while Groups B and C will be hosted in Juba.
Teams that will participate in Wau include Holy Family FC Rumbek, Al-Hilal FC-Wau, and two Salam FCs from Kuajok and Aweil, respectively.
Lion Hunter FC representatives from Yei, Malakia-Juba, Nile City-Yambio, and Young Stars of Torit are the teams battling out in Group B for this prestigious award.
The last group consists of this year’s South Sudan Cup finalists and Bentiu Champions Al-Merriekh FC in Group C, alongside Koryom FC champions from Bor, Tahriri FC from Melut, and Olympic FC from Renk.
Local football associations that have not confirmed their representatives’ participation in this year’s edition are Abyei and Raja FA, among others.
According to the SSFA, the changes were made to allow adequate time for clubs to prepare and reach the competition venue ahead of time.
“This decision was made to accommodate logistical considerations and ensure that all arrangements are in place for a successful start to the league,” read a statement on the official social media page.
Last month, the association banned 16 sub-football associations that were not registered by the SSFA from participating in the 2023–2024 competition.