Fresh Partnership Between Juba and Dakar
Plans for a cooperation agreement between the South Sudan Football Federation and its Senegalese counterpart moved closer after SSFF president Francis Amin returned from the United States with what he called a ‘near-final text ready for signatures.’
Sharing Senegal’s Winning Formula
Senegal, Africa’s reigning powerhouse, will open its coaching curricula and youth academy blueprints to South Sudan. Amin said the objective is to ‘seed local talent with proven methods’ while fast-tracking licensing courses for domestic trainers.
Lighting Up Juba Stadium
On the World Cup draw sidelines, Amin secured FIFA’s commitment to finish floodlighting Juba Stadium by January. He argued that improved visibility will allow evening fixtures, increase gate revenues, and qualify the venue for more continental matches.
Construction work at the Nesitu Football Development Centre, 16 kilometres outside Juba, is also gathering pace. According to the federation, fresh training pitches and dormitories should be operational early next year, anchoring long-term grassroots programmes.
Qatari and Global Backing
Last month in Doha, SSFF envoys met Qatar Football Association officials to revive an earlier memorandum that includes equipment grants and coach exchanges. Additional clauses, Amin noted, will deepen technical cooperation and may open doors to sports-science scholarships.
Amin also held briefings with CAF and MLS administrators in New York, exploring friendly matches that could expose Bright Starlets to higher-level competition without overstretching the federation’s modest travel budget.
Warm Reception Back Home
First Vice-President Makor Majok and senior SSFF officials greeted Amin at Juba International Airport, underscoring government backing for the initiative. Observers say such public endorsement signals rare political unity around sport in the young nation.
If the agreement is signed as expected, South Sudan could leverage Senegal’s playbook to accelerate its climb in FIFA rankings while offering the continent another uplifting narrative of collaboration over competition.