By Kei Emmanuel Duku
As less than six days remaining before CAF CHAN Championship Zonal Qualifiers match, between South Sudan and Rwanda, scheduled for Sunday, December 22nd in Juba Stadium, Bright Stars’ head coach, Nicholas Dupulis, is yet to arrive in the country to assume his technical roles.
The Bright Stars are set to host the Amavubi Stars of Rwanda on Sunday, December 22nd, 2024, at Juba Stadium, before traveling to Kigali, Rwanda, for the return leg on December 28th, 2024.
Coach Dupulis is currently in Paris, France with his family after successfully guiding Bright Stars to a 3-1 aggregate victory over Harambee Stars of Kenya in the first round of the CHAN Championship qualifiers in early October, Dupulis’ availability for the upcoming match remains uncertain.
In a telephone interview with the No.1 Citizen Newspaper, Dupulis expressed his frustration, stating, “The situation hasn’t changed. The SSFA told me there’s no money for my flight ticket, but if they send it today, I’ll be in Juba before the game. You never know, anything can happen, so I’m waiting.”
Should the South Sudan Football Association (SSFA) fail to secure flight tickets for Coach Dupulis on time, the Bright Stars will be forced to play the crucial match without a head coach in the technical area.
Assistant Coach Rezik Hakim, who is currently serving a CAF ban for a red card incident in a previous match, is ineligible to take charge. Additionally, the rest of the technical team lacks the necessary CAF qualifications to lead the team from the technical area.
Despite these challenges, Assistant Coach Hakim, Goalkeeping Coach Kennedy Santino, and other technical team members have commenced training with the players in Juba Stadium, preparing for the upcoming doubleheader fixtures.
When contacted for comment, Victor Lawrence Lual, the SSFA General Secretary, did not respond to calls or text messages regarding the coach’s claims of a lack of funds for his flight.
The Bright Stars national team has faced numerous challenges recently, including difficulties during their AFCON TotalEnergies Qualifiers away match against the Uganda Cranes in Kampala.