29/08/2026
Dear Mr. Francis Amin,
President, South Sudan Football Federation (SSFF)
RE: APPEAL FOR THE RECOGNITION OF GRASSROOTS FOOTBALL AND THE REVERSAL OF THE BAN ON TRAINING FACILITIES AND THE NATIONAL Stadium.
Dear Mr. President,
I extend my greetings to you with profound respect and in the spirit of sportsmanship, patriotism, and our shared commitment to the development of South Sudanese football.
I am one of the many South Sudanese who deeply love this country and sincerely desire to see our national teams prosper on the global stage—not only in football, but across all sporting disciplines.
I have followed the development of our national football team since my teenage years, and for a long time, I was concerned about the direction in which our football was heading. For years, I sought ways through which I could personally contribute to the advancement of our national football, but meaningful contribution required an officially recognized platform through which national and grassroots activities could be properly coordinated. For a considerable period, many South Sudanese lost confidence in the prospects of our sporting sector.
However, the remarkable rise of South Sudanese basketball restored hope and demonstrated what is possible when committed citizens, administrators, athletes, and supporters unite behind a common national vision. Through the dedication of a few patriotic South Sudanese, our basketball team rose to become one of Africa's leading teams. For me, the significance of that achievement was not merely our position in the world rankings, but the fact that South Sudan had established itself as a force to be reckoned with on the African continent.
Inspired by this spirit, in 2022, I personally initiated an effort to contribute to the development of South Sudanese football by establishing a grassroots football platform capable of identifying and nurturing the many talented young players who had never been given a genuine opportunity to demonstrate their abilities.
Together with a group of committed and competent young South Sudanese from across the Bahr El Ghazal region, we established the Bahr El Ghazal Counties’ League (BCL) under the theme:
“Putting a smile on the local population, transforming lives through sports.”
The League was founded not for personal recognition or financial gain, but to create opportunities, unite communities, discover talent, and contribute to the broader development of South Sudanese football.
Initially, the initiative encountered resistance from sections of the region and the recognized sporting institutions. However, with time, the institutions came to appreciate and embrace the initiative after witnessing the passion, unity, excitement, and positive transformation it generated among the people - not only in Bahr El Ghazal, but beyond the region.
The impact became increasingly evident when recognized clubs registered with the Juba Local Football Association and the South Sudan Football Federation began attending matches and scouting players from the League. Several players were subsequently recruited because clubs recognized the quality of talent emerging from these community competitions.
These players did not suddenly become talented because they were discovered. They had always possessed the talent; they simply needed an opportunity and a platform on which to demonstrate it.
Mr. President, I wish to emphasize that grassroots football is not a competitor to the South Sudan Football Federation. It is a supplement to its work.
The communities, counties, and payams constitute the foundation upon which our national football structure must ultimately rest. If we genuinely want stronger clubs and a stronger national team, we must invest in the places where football talent first emerges.
I also wish to acknowledge that the former leadership of the South Sudan Football Federation, under President Augustino Maduot Parek, recognized the significant contribution grassroots football was making to the development of our national team.
It is also important to recognize the broader contribution of community competitions such as the BCL to the evolution of organized football in South Sudan. These initiatives helped demonstrate the enormous appetite for competitive football at the community level and contributed to the environment from which structures such as the South Sudan Premier League emerged.
Mr. President, when political differences eventually affected the League and its leadership changed, we made a conscious decision not to allow personal grievances to destroy the very purpose for which the League had been established.
We chose not to prioritize our egos.
We chose the community.
We chose the players.
We chose the clubs.
And, above all, we chose South Sudan.
Having already achieved the recognition and popularity that many individuals seek, we had no reason to place personal interests above the welfare of the football community. Our objective from the beginning was always bigger than individuals - it was to create a sustainable pathway through which South Sudanese footballers could be discovered, developed, and given opportunities.
Mr. President, the members and supporters of the Bahr El Ghazal Counties League are not calling for confrontation with the Federation, nor are we endorsing any particular leadership faction. We are simply asking that facts be allowed to speak for themselves.
Grassroots football is already performing work that complements the mandate of the Federation.
Community competitions such as BCL, BCT, and other existing grassroots leagues should therefore be recognized, supported, and incorporated into a coherent national football development framework.
The Federation should not view these initiatives as threats to its authority. Rather, they should be regarded as partners in talent identification and football development.
The reality is simple: the players who emerge from counties, payams, communities, and grassroots competitions are ultimately the same players from whom the national team will select its future Bright Stars.
Mr. President, I respectfully but firmly appeal to your leadership to reconsider the decision restricting or banning the use of training facilities and the National Stadium by community football initiatives.
If the primary concern is related to gate fees, facility charges, or financial considerations, I respectfully submit that such concerns should be addressed through consultation and reasonable arrangements rather than restrictions that could unintentionally undermine grassroots football development.
The national stadium and other football facilities should serve the development of football across the country. They should be places where talent is nurtured, communities are inspired, and future Bright Stars are discovered.
Restricting access to these facilities risks creating a disconnect between the Federation and the very communities whose young people ultimately provide the players who represent South Sudan at the national level.
The community tournaments are not separate from the national team. They are part of the pipeline that produces the national team.
The modest progress we have witnessed in South Sudanese football must therefore be protected and expanded rather than weakened by decisions that may discourage grassroots participation.
Mr. President, this is not a letter written to attack you or undermine the authority of the South Sudan Football Federation. It is a sincere appeal from a South Sudanese citizen who has invested time, energy, ideas, and personal commitment in grassroots football because of a genuine belief in the potential of our young people.
We do not need to sugar-coat the challenges facing our football sector. We need honest conversations, courageous leadership, accountability, and decisions that place the long-term interests of South Sudanese football above individual interests.
Where the community is doing something beneficial, leadership should strengthen it.
Where there are disagreements, dialogue should prevail.
Where there are financial concerns, sustainable solutions should be negotiated.
And where there is talent, we must create the opportunity for that talent to flourish.
Therefore, I respectfully request that your leadership:
Recognize and support legitimate grassroots and community football competitions across South Sudan.
Review and reverse the restrictions affecting access to training facilities and the National Stadium, where such restrictions unnecessarily impede football development.
Establish constructive dialogue with community football organizers to develop a coordinated grassroots-to-national-team talent pathway.
Create a transparent framework for scouting and developing players from counties, payams, and community leagues.
Treat grassroots football organizations as partners in national football development rather than competitors.
South Sudan has enormous football potential. Our responsibility is to ensure that talent is not lost simply because a young player was born in a county, a remote community, or an area without established football infrastructure.
Let us build a football system where every talented South Sudanese child has a pathway from the community pitch to the national team.
That is how we build stronger clubs.
That is how we build stronger communities.
That is how we build stronger football.
And ultimately, that is how we build a stronger South Sudan.
I therefore respectfully appeal to you, Mr. President, to reconsider the decision concerning the use of training facilities and the National Stadium and to embrace a broader partnership with grassroots football initiatives throughout the country.
This appeal comes not from personal ambition, but from a conviction that South Sudanese football belongs to all South Sudanese.
May we put our differences aside, protect the progress already made, and work together to ensure that the next generation of Bright Stars has a stronger foundation than the previous one.
God bless South Sudan.
God bless the Bright Stars.
God bless the South Sudan Football Federation.
God bless the people of South Sudan.
God bless H.E. Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit, President of the Republic of South Sudan.
Yours faithfully,
Madut Anei Kuendit
Founder, Bahr El Ghazal Counties’ League (BCL).
