26/07/2026
๐๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ง๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐
๐จ๐จ๐ญ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ก ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ข๐ญ๐ ๐
๐ข๐ง๐๐ง๐๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ
๐๐๐๐ | ๐๐๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฒ, ๐๐๐๐ โ South Sudanโs Minister of Youth and Sports Hon. Atong Kuol Manyang, has reaffirmed the governmentโs commitment to developing football across the nation, while acknowledging the severe infrastructure and funding challenges facing the sport.
Speaking at the South Sudan Football Federation (SSFF) season review workshop, the Minister emphasized the importance of assessing past performance to build a better future for the countryโs most popular game.
โWhat we discuss today will determine how tomorrow turns out,โ the Minister stated. โYesterday is history, and the things that passed are lessons for us. What can we do differently to ensure that we improve in football?โ
๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐
๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ฌ
Having served in the role for nearly three months, the Minister noted that they are well aware of the immense challenges sports federations face. A primary concern is the stark lack of international-standard infrastructure. Currently, South Sudan has only two stadiums with artificial turfโboth located in Jubaโleaving regional states heavily disadvantaged.
โIf our youth cannot train on a surface that is acceptable internationally, this disadvantages them when they go out to compete,โ the Minister explained.
Beyond infrastructure, financial constraints continue to hamper the federationโs day-to-day operations, including the training of referees, coaches, and the funding of national teams for international tournaments. The Minister admitted that due to a lack of funds, teams have previously missed crucial opportunities because they could not afford travel costs for all players.
๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐-๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ญ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ง๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ๐ฌ
While government support remains limited due to tight budgets, the Minister promised that the ministry will do its best to fund national teams traveling abroad and support internal policy improvements.
To bridge the financial gap, the Minister praised existing corporate partners, including MTN and Zain, for keeping South Sudanese football alive on the international stage.
โWithout their support, probably we would not have made it even outside the country,โ the Minister said, issuing a call for more corporate partners to step forward and invest in the SSFF.
The Minister concluded by praising local football clubs for their grassroots work in scouting and nurturing young talent, expressing confidence that the review workshop would yield actionable strategies to advance the sport nationwide.