South Sudan national football team

South Sudan

Nickname(s)	Tigers[1]
Association	South Sudan Football Association
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation	CECAFA (East & Central Africa)
Head coach	Joseph Malesh
Captain	Jumma Ginaro
Most caps	Jumma Ginaro (18) Dominic Abui (16)
Top scorer	Sebit Bruno (3)
Home stadium	Juba National Stadium
FIFA code	SSD
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	169 2 (24 November 2016)
Highest	134 (November 2015)
Lowest	205 (September 2013)
Elo ranking
Current	164 (8 July 2015)
Highest	132 (July 2012)
Lowest	167 (June 2015)
First international
South Sudan 2–2 Uganda  (Juba, South Sudan; 10 July 2012)
Biggest win
South Sudan 2–0 Djibouti  (Bahir Dar, Ethiopia; 23 November 2015) South Sudan 2–0 Malawi  (Bahir Dar, Ethiopia; 27 November 2015)
Biggest defeat
Mozambique 5–0 South Sudan (Maputo, Mozambique; 18 May 2014)

The South Sudan national football team represents South Sudan in international association football and is controlled by the South Sudan Football Association, the governing body for football in South Sudan.

History

Dr. Sally Samuel Lolako was appointed on 25 May 2011 to oversee the national team.^[2] The national team's first international fixture was due to be against the Kenyan national team on 10 July 2011 as part of the country's independence celebrations.^[3][4] However, in the event the opposition was provided by Tusker FC of the Kenyan Premier League,^[5] alongside the first international fixture of the national basketball team. The match was played at Juba Stadium. South Sudan scored within ten minutes, but they later conceded three goals in a 3–1 defeat.^[6] South Sudan was officially admitted as a CAF member on 10 February 2012, at the 34th CAF Ordinary General Assembly hosted in Libreville, Gabon.^[7] South Sudan was admitted as a FIFA member on 25 May 2012 at the second session of the 62nd FIFA Congress hosted in Budapest, Hungary.^[8][9]

On 10 July 2012, South Sudan competed in its first full international match, a friendly against Uganda in Juba.^[10] The match ended in a 2–2 draw, with James Moga and Richard Justin Lado scoring for South Sudan. This match resulted in South Sudan entering the FIFA rankings at the start of August in 199th place.^[10]

The South Sudanese took part in their first ever international football tournament when they took part in the 2012 CECAFA Cup in Uganda.^[11][12] They were drawn in Group A alongside Ethiopia, Kenya, and hosts Uganda.^[13] The national team played their first match against Ethiopia, losing 1–0 through a Yonathan Kebede goal. In their next match, they lost 2–0 against Kenya. Their final match saw them suffer a 4–0 loss to Uganda.

South Sudan entered its first major international tournament in 2014, taking part in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualification. As one of the four lowest ranked national teams in Africa, it entered in the preliminary stage and was scheduled to play against Eritrea, who withdrew, thus qualifying South Sudan for the first qualifying round.^[14][15] There, they played Mozambique over two legs, losing a national record 5–0 at the Estádio do Zimpeto in Maputo, but hosting a goalless draw in the second leg despite being eliminated on aggregate. South Sudan's home leg was held at the Khartoum Stadium in Sudan due to the South Sudanese Civil War.

On 5 September 2015, South Sudan won its first FIFA-recognized match, against Equatorial Guinea for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification.

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup
Appearances: 0
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930 to 2010	Part of  Sudan
2014	Did not enter
2018	Did not qualify
2022	TBD
Total		0/20

Africa Cup of Nations

Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances: 0
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1957 to 2010	Part of  Sudan
2012	Did not enter
2013
2015	Did not qualify
2017
Total		0/29

CECAFA Cup

CECAFA Cup
Appearances: 3
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1973 to 2010	Part of  Sudan
2011	Did not enter
2012	Group Stage	11th	3	0	0	3	0	7
2013	Group Stage	10th	3	0	0	3	2	7
2015	Quarterfinals	7th	4	2	1	1	4	0
2016	TBD
Total	Group Stage	2/37	10	2	1	7	6	14

All Results

Official – 23 matches played:
3 Wins, 4 Draws, 16 Losses

Unofficial/All matches – 25 matches played:
3 Wins, 5 Draws, 17 Losses

South Sudan national football team match results
Win       Draw       Defeat
M	Opponent	Date	Result	Event
1	Tusker F.C.	7/10/2011	1–3	Friendly (Unofficial)^1
2	SC Villa	8/3/2011	1–1	Friendly (Unofficial)^1
3	Uganda	7/10/2012	2–2	Friendly
4	Ethiopia	11/24/2012	0–1	2012 CECAFA Cup GS
5	Kenya	11/27/2012	0–2	2012 CECAFA Cup GS
6	Uganda	11/30/2012	0–4	2012 CECAFA Cup GS
7	Zanzibar	11/27/2013	1–2	2013 CECAFA Cup GS
8	Kenya	11/30/2013	1–3	2013 CECAFA Cup GS
9	Ethiopia	11/27/2013	0–2	2013 CECAFA Cup GS
10	Botswana	3/5/2014	0–3	Friendly
11	Mozambique	5/18/2014	0–5	2015 Africa Cup of Nations qual.
12	Mozambique	5/30/2014	0–0	2015 Africa Cup of Nations qual.
13	Kenya	6/7/2015	0–2	Friendly
14	Mali	6/13/2014	0–2	2017 Africa Cup of Nations qual.
15	Equatorial Guinea	9/5/2015	1–0	2017 Africa Cup of Nations qual.
16	Mauritania	10/8/2015	1–1	2018 FIFA World Cup qual.
17	Mauritania	10/13/2015	0–4	2018 FIFA World Cup qual.
18	Djibouti	11/23/2015	2–0	2015 CECAFA Cup GS
19	Sudan	11/25/2015	0–0	2015 CECAFA Cup GS
20	Malawi	11/27/2015	2–0	2015 CECAFA Cup GS
21	Sudan	12/1/2015	0–0 (3–5 pen.)	2015 CECAFA Cup QF
22	Benin	3/23/2016	1–2	2017 Africa Cup of Nations qual.
23	Benin	3/27/2016	1–4	2017 Africa Cup of Nations qual.
24	Mali	6/3/2016	0–3	2017 Africa Cup of Nations qual.
25	Equatorial Guinea	9/4/2016	0–4	2017 Africa Cup of Nations qual.

¹These matches are unofficial, and thus are not counted in the all-time record table below.

GS=Group Stage, R16=Round of 16, QF=Quarterfinals, SF=Semifinals, 3PG=Third Place Game

All-Time Results vs Opponents

Opponent (Confederation)	Matches Played	Wins-Draws-Losses	Goals For	Goals Against	Goal Difference	Last Meeting
Benin (CAF)	2	0–0–2	2	6	−4	3/27/2016
Botswana (CAF)	1	0–0–1	0	3	−3	3/5/2014
Djibouti (CAF)	1	1–0–0	2	0	+2	11/23/2015
Equatorial Guinea (CAF)	2	1–0–1	1	4	−3	9/4/2016
Ethiopia (CAF)	2	0–0–2	0	3	−3	11/27/2013
Kenya (CAF)	3	0–0–3	1	7	−6	6/7/2015
Malawi (CAF)	1	1–0–0	2	0	+2	11/27/2015
Mali (CAF)	2	0–0–2	0	5	−5	6/3/2016
Mauritania (CAF)	2	0–1–1	1	5	−4	10/13/2015
Mozambique (CAF)	2	0–1–1	0	5	−5	5/30/2014
Sudan (CAF)	2	0–1–1^1	0	0	0	12/1/2015
Uganda (CAF)	2	0–1–1	2	6	−4	11/30/2012
Zanzibar (CAF)	1	0–0–1	1	2	−1	11/27/2013
TOTAL	23	3–4–16	14	50	–36	9/4/2016

¹The one loss to Sudan was in a penalty shootout, Sudan won 5–3 on penalties after a 0–0 result after 120 minutes.

All-Time Results vs Confederations

Confederation	Matches Played	Wins-Draws-Losses	Goals For	Goals Against	Goal Difference	Last Meeting
CAF	23	3–4–16	14	50	−36	9/4/2016
TOTAL	23	3–4–16	14	50	-36	9/4/2016

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification match against Equatorial Guinea on 4 September 2016.^[16]
Caps and goals updated as of 4 September 2016 after the game against Equatorial Guinea.

0#0	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
	GK	Jumma Ginaro (c)	28 February 1982	18	0	Al-Hilal Omdurman
	GK	Kennedy Santolino	1 January 1989	3	0	Kator FC
	GK	David Urbano	1 October 1990	3	0	Al-Hilal
	DF	Zachariah Benasio	2 July 1990	15	0	Al-Merrikh
	DF	Athir Thomas	7 February 1987	14	0	Al-Hilal Omdurman
	DF	David Dada	20 November 1993	14	0	Al-Malakia
	DF	Edmon Amadeo	15 July 1989	3	0	Al-Hilal
	DF	Zacharia Scopas	1 January 1988	1	0	Atlabara
	DF	Kuach Kamon	10 September 1992	0	0	Al-Merreikh
	DF	Gabriel Kamilo		0	0	Rabita
	DF	Abdu Awad Lemi		0	0	Rabita
	MF	Dominic Abui	1 January 1991	16	2	Al Khartoum SC
	MF	William Offiri	1 January 1984	12	0	Rainbow FC
	MF	Isaac Mattia	1 January 1988	10	0	Kator FC
	MF	Thomas Jacob	26 February 1986	9	0	Al-Malakia
	MF	Agure Garang	28 July 1994	6	0	Atlabara
	MF	Fabian Ladu	5 May 1988	5	0	Atlabara
	MF	Lubari Zarambi	1 January 1987	2	0	Al-Malakia
	MF	Samuel Tombe	12 November 1992	1	0	Al-Hilal
	MF	Achuil Tito Akol		0	0	Al-Nsoor
	FW	Sebit Bruno	4 July 1995	10	3	Kator FC
	FW	Aluck Akeuch	8 February 1994	8	0	Al-Merrikh
	FW	Atak Lual	1 January 1990	6	1	Al-Ahly Shendi

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for South Sudan within the past 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
DF	Magak Deng	1 January 1991	4	0	Atlabara	v.  Mali, 4 June 2016
DF	Timateo Agele	4 December 1992	2	0	The Saints Mukono	v.  Mali, 4 June 2016
DF	Duach Jock	20 December 1986	6	0	North County Battalion	v.  Benin, 27 March 2016
DF	Peter Deng	12 January 1993	1	0	Pascoe Vale	v.  Benin, 27 March 2016
MF	Dhuor Ngor Chol	13 January 1993	4	0	Inter Leipzig	v.  Mali, 4 June 2016
MF	Robert Lopidia	11 November 1994	1	0	Atlabara	v.  Mali, 4 June 2016
MF	Taban Manyang	17 December 1998	0	0	Bayswater City	v.  Mali, 4 June 2016
MF	Malek Atak Ngor	1 January 1990	7	0	Al-Ahli	v.  Benin, 27 March 2016
FW	James Moga	14 June 1986	11	2	Mohammedan	v.  Mali, 4 June 2016
FW	Khamis Leon	1 January 1987	13	0	Atlabara	v.  Benin, 23 March 2016
FW	Ladule Lako LoSarah	26 March 1987	2	0	FC Inter Leipzig	v.  Benin, 23 March 2016

Notes

• ^INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury.
• ^RET Player has retired from international football.
• ^DEC Player has refused to join the team after the call-up.
• ^SUS Suspended from the national team.
• ^PRE Preliminary Squad.

Coaches

• Malesh Soro^[17] (2011–12)^{[nb 1]}
• Zoran Đorđević (2012–13)^{[nb 2]}
• Ismail Balanga (2013–14)^{[nb 3]}
• Salyi Lolaku Samuel (2014)^{[nb 4]}
• Lee Sung-jea (2014–15)
• Leo Adraa (2016)
• Joseph Malesh (2016–)

Dual-Internationals

The following South Sudanese international footballers have also played for Sudan before the country's independence:

• James Moga – forward for Sudan. Played for them in 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification and 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification. Played 14 matches and scored three goals.
• Richard Justin Lado – Experienced defender in club football for Khartoum 3 and played for Sudan between 2008 and 2012.
• Athir Thomas – defender in Sudan before the country's partition.
• Roy Gulwak – Goalkeeper who represented Sudan in two 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification matches in 2009, conceding two goals
• Khamis Martin – Played one international for Sudan in 2010.

See also

• South Sudan national football team record- All-time record against other countries.

Notes

1. Malesh Soro was named as South Sudan's first national team manager, however he never took control of the national team for a game.
2. Đorđević was coach of the South Sudan team during the inaugural match versus Uganda and the 2012 CECAFA Cup campaign.
3. Balanga was coach of the South Sudan team during the 2013 CECAFA Cup campaign.
4. Lolaku Samuel was named as caretaker manager for the friendly game versus Botswana in March 2014.

References

1. "BBC Storyville 2014 Soccer Coach Zoran and his African Tigers". 18 December 2014. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
2. Kayanga, John (25 May 2011). "Constitution, Budget for National soccer team remains unfinished". Juba Post. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
4. Martell, Peter (6 July 2011). "World's Newest Nation Set to Step Into Sporting Arena". Jakarta Globe. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
5. Rice, Xan (10 July 2011). "South Sudan marks statehood with football match". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
6. "Independent South Sudan play first football match". Kickoff.com. 11 July 2011. Retrieved 24 December 2011.
7. South Sudan admitted as a member of CAF, SuperSport.com, Retrieved 10 February 2012.
8. "FIFA Congress fully backs reform process, appoints first woman to Executive; welcomes South Sudan as 209th FIFA member". FIFA Congress. 25 May 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
9. Mensah, Kent (27 May 2012). "South Sudan become Fifa's 209th member". Goal.com. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
10. "South Sudan enter FIFA rankings". Reuters. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
11. South Sudan set for international debuts at Cecafa cups BBC. Retrieved 12 November 2012
12. World newest state set for CECAFA début Futaa.com. Retrieved 12 November 2012
13. Ethiopia get tough draw for 2012 Cecafa Challenge Cup BBC. Retrieved 12 November 2012
14. "Eritrea withdraws from Nations Cup Qualification". Reuters.com. 30 March 2014.
15. "Eritrea withdraws from Can 2015". Cafonline.com. 30 March 2014.
16. "AFCONQ – South Sudan's team to Malabo named". soka25east.com.
17. Kayanga, John (26 May 2011). "Malesh to take charge of National team". Juba Post. Retrieved 25 July 2011.

External links

• South Sudan at FIFA.com
• South Sudan – List of International Matches (English)