War-hit Sudan reaches African football showpiece to gift 'rare joy'

The feat, achieved at the expense of Ghana, one of the continent's traditional powerhouses, comes despite the team having to play all their matches abroad and the domestic league being suspended. Streets of Port Sudan, where hundreds of thousands of displaced endure agonising waits for water and healthcare, came alive after the match, with car horns blaring and ecstatic fans waving Sudanese flags from the windows. The match marked Sudan's 10th qualification for the continental tournament, offering a rare moment of happiness to a nation devastated by 19 months of war.

"Our joy after the game... could not truly reflect the emotions in our hearts," one jubilant fan, Hassan Mohamed, told 'AFP'. In Port Sudan, the country's de facto capital since last year, fans gathered in cafes Monday to watch the final group stage match against Angola, played in Benghazi, Libya. Others followed the action on mobile phones, holding their breath in the final moments, an AFP correspondent reported.

Despite a goalless draw, Sudan secured the second qualifying spot for next year's AFCON finals from a group that, besides Angola and Ghana, also included Niger. As the referee's whistle signalled the end of the game, chairs toppled over as fans jumped for joy. Celebrations spilled into the streets of the Red Sea port city, where car horns echoed in triumph. It was only the second time that Sudan, the champions in 1970, made it to the AFCON finals in the last seven editions.

'Impossible smile' 

Social media platforms lit up with images of the players, as Sudanese users hailed the team's qualification as a "rare joy in dark times". "Their aim was to bring a smile back to the Sudanese people," Khalid Omer Yousif, vice-chairman of the Sudanese Congress Party, wrote on X. Speaking to AFP by phone, sports journalist Nasr al-Din al-Fadalabi called the achievement "an impossible smile in a time of sorrow".

Since April 2023, Sudan has been gripped by a war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Tens of thousands have been killed and more than 11 million have been displaced, including over three million who fled the country. Inside Sudan, displaced people face compounding humanitarian crises and the threat of famine, even in areas spared direct fighting. The war has devastated the country's infrastructure, crippled the health sector and shuttered most businesses. Football has not escaped the turmoil.

Politics on the pitch

With the domestic league suspended, Sudanese football has taken a new path. Home games were relocated to South Sudan and Libya, and the national team trained in Saudi Arabia. Players have signed contracts abroad, including goalkeeper Mohamed Mustafa in Tanzania. Sudanese footballers in Libya benefit from local status, while others who played abroad are now in the national team. Among them is Mohamed Eisa, a star forward who spent years in British leagues and now plays in Iran.

The war has also seeped into football. In an October match against Ghana, team captain Ramadan Agab mimicked a victory gesture associated with army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, taunting his paramilitary rivals. Burhan has praised the team in public statements and visits to the football federation.

For many Sudanese, this week's qualification was a moment of pride and unity. "Despite the divisions among some and despite so many obstacles... they (the players) have overcome every challenge," said fan Akrama Ali Karamallah. "I believe they will go even further, and as they say, nothing is impossible."

 

November 18, 2024