By Kei Emmanuel Duku
South Sudan National Team has commenced training ahead of their crucial TotalEnergies AFCON 2025 qualifying fixture against Congo Brazzaville, scheduled for Thursday, November 14, 2024, at Juba Stadium.
Last week, Head Coach Nicholas Dupulis summoned a 34-man provisional squad for the final two Group K matches. The team began training at Juba Stadium soon after.
The provisional squad includes both European and domestic players. However, it remains uncertain whether players who previously shunned national team call-ups due to unpaid incentives will honor this summons.
Players like Rashid Toha, Peter Maker, Paul America, Majak David, and Tito Okello, who missed the last two matches against Uganda Cranes, have been included in the 34-man squad for the Congo Brazzaville match.
Ahead of the crucial fixtures, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has notified the South Sudan Football Association of the ineligibility of Okocha Rashid Thomas Ladu and Leku Alfred Freedom for the Congo match due to accumulated yellow cards. However, they will be available for the South Africa game a week later.
Congo Brazzaville, who won their opening fixture 1-0 against South Sudan, aims to secure a double victory over the Bright Stars.
South Sudan currently sits at the bottom of the table after losing their last four matches. Their early exit from the CAT TotalEnergies AFCON 2025 Qualifiers was confirmed after defeats to Congo Brazzaville, South Africa, and Uganda Cranes.
The race for the top two positions is between Uganda Cranes and South Africa. Uganda leads with 10 points, followed by South Africa with 8 points. Uganda needs only a draw against South Africa on Friday, November 15, 2024, at Mandela National Stadium to secure their place in the 2025 AFCON tournament in Morocco.