The Sudan Government and its football association said on Wednesday it supported and were excited about an international soccer tournament being held in the unusual frontiers of North Darfur and South Kordofan states.
Federal Minister of Youth and Sports, Sadiq Mohamed Tom and Sudan Football Association President Dr Mutasim Gafaar Sir Elkhatim said hosting a two-week Cecafa Kagame Club Cup championship in Al Fashir City [North Darfur] and Kadugli [South Kordofan] was unprecedented but a deliberate effort to use sport as a unifier in states that had seen long periods of war and lack of peace.
A Cecafa inspection team was making its conclusions as to whether the Darfur and Kordofan were capable of hosting the Club Championship in Sudan between June 18 and July 2.
The SFA and the Sudan government got the assurance that the tournament will indeed take place here and were told that another Cecafa team, including affiliate member delegates, would visit the venues in three weeks’ time to make sure all final preparations were in place.
Dr Gafaar said his SFA was firmly behind their affiliate football associations in North Darfur and South Kordofan in their efforts to improve football facilities such as stadiums.
Cecafa approved two stadiums in Al Fashir City ready for the tournament and the council’s secretary general, Nicholas Musonye, said a 25,000 stadium yet to be completed in Kadugli was a showcase which federal governments in Africa should emulate in improving the development of infrastructure to all corners of their countries.
The Sudan sports minister said that from Khartoum, there was a new focus of taking all-round support to areas outside the capital that held large sporting potential.
North Darfur Governor Osman Mohamed Yousif Kibir travelled from Al Fashir City for the function and said that after many years of war in Darfur [2003-2008] peace had returned to his region in recent years.
“We have, however come to realize the surest tool for bringing people together; fostering peace for economic and social development was through sport.
“We are very excited and delighted with our neighbouring countries, about 10 of them, who have agreed to come and take part in international sport for the first time in our Al Fashir City.”
Governor Kebir said the more endowed North Darfur was ready to assist South Kordofan to put finishing touches to their facilities in time for the Kagame Cup.
“We shall all unite, together with the federal government and SFA to make sure we are all ready for the tournament.”
Another Sudanese Premier League team, Al Shandy was included in the competition. Musonye said that this will necessitate the group playing in Kadugli to have five teams.
The draws were postponed to a later date when the team returns for a second and final inspection. Musonye named the confirmed participating clubs as Al Ahly Shandy (Sudan), Al Hilal (Sudan), APR (Rwanda), Elman (Somalia), El Merriekh (Al Fashir-Sudan), El Nasr (South Sudan), Express (Uganda), Ports (Djibouti), Simba (Tanzania Mainland), Super Falcons (Zanzibar), Tusker (Kenya) , Vital’O (Burundi) and the defending champions Young Africans (Tanzania Mainland).
