South Sudan National Cup

South Sudan National Cup
Organising body South Sudan Football Association
Founded 2011 (2011)
Region South Sudan
Number of teams 16 (2016)
International cup(s) CAF Champions League
CAF Confederation Cup
Current champions Wau Salaam FC (2016)
Most successful club(s) Al-Malakia FC and Wau Salaam FC(2 titles)

The South Sudan National Cup is an annual knockout association football competition in men's domestic South Sudanese football. The competition was formed in 2012, soon after South Sudan gained independence. The cup is organised by the South Sudan Football Association. The competition has being held three times with Al-Malakia FC the most successful club in South Sudan National Cup history with two titles. In the most recent edition, nine teams competed in the cup. The competition has not been held since 2014.

History

South Sudan gained its independence from the country of Sudan on 9 July 2011 after a referendum.[1] The South Sudan Football Association (SSFA) was formed in April 2011 and has gained membership of FIFA, CAF and CECAFA.[2][3][4][5] Alongside the national cup, SSFA also runs domestic leagues, with the South Sudan Football Championship the top division.[6]

In 2012 the first South Sudan National Cup was held.[7] Eight teams entered the completion. The first round of the completion was a two-legged quarterfinal knockout stage. The four quarterfinal winners, El Nasir FC, Akwachi Dit, El Meriekh and Merreikh Aweil FC, entered a semi-final stage. The semi-finals each consisted of a single match. On 8 September 2012, El Nasir FC beat Akwachi Dit 2–0, and then on 9 September, El Meriekh beat Merreikh Aweil FC 1–0, and these teams would play off in the final. In the final played on 12 September, the Juba-based El Nasir FC beat the Renk-based El Meriekh 2–1.[8]

In 2013, the second edition of the South Sudan National Cup was held. Many more team entered than in 2012 and the first round of the competition was split up into regions. Teams from the states of Central Equatoria, Upper Nile and Western Equatoria competed in the 2013 competition. Eventually 16 teams progressed to the final stage. They were split into four groups. Two of the four groups were not played. From the group stage, four teams qualified for the semi-finals. Those four teams were Al-Malakia FC (Juba), Ahli FC (Malakal), Salaam Aweil FC (Northern Bahr el Ghazal) and Amal Raja FC (Western Bahr el Ghazal). Al-Malakia FC beat Ahli FC on penalties and Salaam Aweil FC beat Amal Raja FC 3–2. In the final, Al-Malakia FC won 2–0 and, therefore, qualified for the 2014 CAF Confederation Cup.[9]

The 2014 South Sudan National Cup was contested by nine teams, split up into two groups. Teams from the states of Upper Nile, Unity and Jonglei did not compete due to conflicts in those areas. The teams were split into a Wau group and a Juba group. The eventual semi-finalists were Al-Malakia FC, Al-Ghazal FC (Wau), Eslah FC and Tahrir FC. The semi-finals, which were two-legged, were won by Al-Ghazal FC and Al-Malakia FC after winning 2–0 on aggregate and 6–3 on aggregate respectively. Al-Malakia FC won the final held on 31 August 2014, 1–0. By winning, Al-Malakia FC qualified for the 2015 CAF Champions League.[10]

In 2015, the SSFA announced a new cup competition for domestic South Sudanese football. Sponsored by the MTN Group, the MTN8 Football Championship was held in 2015 and won by Al-Malakia FC.[11][12]

In 2016 Wau Salaam FC won the South Sudan National Cup after beating Young Stars FC of Torit 3-0 in the final.[13]

References

  1. ↑ "South Sudan country profile". BBC News. 2 August 2016. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  2. ↑ John Stephen, Juma (8 April 2011). "Provisional Football Association Of South Sudan Is Established". Gurtong. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  3. ↑ "South Sudan becomes FIFA's 209th member". Reuters. 25 May 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  4. ↑ "South Sudan gain CAF membership". BBC Sport. 10 February 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  5. ↑ Okinyo, Collins (9 May 2012). "CECAFA welcomes South Sudan". SuperSport. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  6. ↑ "South Sudan". FIFA. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  7. ↑ "South Sudan – List of Champions and Cup Winners". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  8. ↑ "South Sudan 2012". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  9. ↑ "South Sudan 2013". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  10. ↑ "South Sudan 2014". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  11. ↑ Denis, Ejulu. "MTN Launches MTN8 Football Championship". The Corporate Weekly. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  12. ↑ "South Sudan 2015". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  13. ↑ Kawowo.com. Retrieved 29 November 2016
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