FIFA To Take Tough Measures Against South Sudan Football Leadership Crisis

This article was last updated on May 25, 2022

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The South Sudan Football Association (SSFA) had developed a leadership crisis since it banned its President from the association on corruption allegations and failure to respect the governing constitution of the SSFA.

The crisis has deepened for months and attempts to resolve it appeared to be failing.

The SSFA before representatives of FIFA delegates including Primo Corvaro, Head of Member FIFA convened for an extraordinary meeting to elect a new leadership; President and Vice President of the SSFA.

However, the members of the association present could not make a quorum.

Sistilo Juba, the Secretary General of the Electoral Commission which is to conduct the elections upon addressing members present in the house said only 11 members were present out of the expected 37.

“There are only eleven members. The quorum is supposed to be nineteen,” Sistilo said, “We cannot continue.” he ruled.

Addressing the gathering, Primo expressed disappointment over the will of the members of the SSFA in addressing the crisis, saying the situation risks tough measures to be taken by FIFA.

“We are here today because we have a crisis between two people,” Primo said. “There is lack of quorum. We will let FIFA note this and the high body will decide on what to do.”

It is not Primo’s first visit to South Sudan since the inception of the crisis in an attempt to address the matter. He said FIFA had felt to abundantly assist South Sudan get more organized as a young nation with football, adding it is still fixing roots and needs a lot of help.

He described what happened in the leadership as crisis now an “accident” and urged the members to think twice in addressing the matter as the situation risks South Sudan losing opportunities that are under way.

“If you don’t solve the problem I will anticipate action from the high body,” he said.

Ahead of the convention of the meeting, clashes started among some of the members already in the hall with quarrels and a situation of divisionism ahead of the elections.

Actually there were reports that as the elections were scheduled to take place in New Sudan Hotel Palace and as several of the members gather already, some of the SSFA members were reported to have convened in South Sudan Hotel in a meeting whose agenda could not be revealed.

The national football team has been kicked out of the ongoing Cecafa tournament in Kampala where they lost all the three group games against Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda.