Following their 3-0 thrashing at the hands of Bafana Bafana on Tuesday, South Sudan coach Nicholas Dupuis says he does not know if football is very important in the East African country.
South Sudan ended their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign bottom of Group K, with South Africa putting the final nail in their coffin with goals by Iqraam Rayners, Patrick Maswanganyi and Teboho Mokoena from the penalty spot.
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Nicknamed The Bright Stars, the side claimed only one victory during the qualifiers, against Congo, but lost five matches, ending their campaign with just three points from six games.
Head coach Dupuis, however, made it clear that he felt positive about their journey despite the raft of obstacles in their way, including a lack of sufficient funding from the South Sudan Football Association (SSFA) and government.
Speaking in a press conference after their clash against Bafana, the Frenchman explained: "I don't know if football is very important in South Sudan.
"You know, because government doesn't help the federation so it's difficult for the federation to help us.
"For example, we were only 14 players today. And always difficult to have tickets, to have equipment.
"We don't have professional championship, of course, because we have only one pitch. So all is difficult.
"But with my guys, with a lot of work, we can improve the level. But I hope the government is going to help a little because we need more pitches and more money to work in good conditions."
The coach said that his team would now turn their focus to the CAF African Nations Championship, as they are set to begin the second preliminary fixtures against Rwanda in December.
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By Lukhanyo Mtuta
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