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ABSTRACT
South Sudan’s independence was accompanied by the creation of a new national football team and its entry into the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA). Despite Sudan’s football history, there has not been much inquiry into the game’s growth and importance in Southern Sudan. This article analyzes football’s development in Southern Sudan during the Anglo-Egyptian Condominium era (1899–1956). In Northern Sudan it was featured in Khartoum’s Gordon College and the Sudan Football Association. In the South, football was played at Christian mission sites; locations that aimed to challenge the spread of Islam. As the British sought to separate the North from the South, the encouragement of football in each region was a point of unity in a divisive colonial agenda; one that planted seeds of conflict for the postcolonial state.
KEYWORDS:
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Notes
1 Rice, Xan. “South Sudan Marks Statehood with Football Match.” The Guardian, July 10, 2011. Accessed July 8, 2017. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jul/10/south-sudanstatehood-football-match; Kickoff.com. “Independent South Sudan Play their First Match against Kenya’s Tusker FC.” July 11, 2011. Accessed September 29, 2017. http://www.kickoff.com/features/22897/independent-southsudan-play-their-first-match-against-kenyas-tusker-fc.php.
2 “Statehood”; “Independent”, quotations from latter.
3 Montague, James. “South Sudan vs. the World: The Birth of a National Football Team.” CNN, July 14, 2011. Accessed September 25, 2017. http://edition.cnn.com/2011/SPORT/football/07/14/football.sudan.nation.south/; Muga, Emmanuel. “South Sudan set for International Debuts at Cecafa Cups.” BBC, June 19, 2012. Accessed September 25, 2017. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/18504126; Tribune, Sudan. “South Sudan Joins Confederation of African Football.” February 11, 2012. Accessed September 25, 2017. http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article41566; FIFA. “A New Dawn for South Sudan.” October 5, 2015. Accessed September 25, 2017. https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/a-new-dawn-for-south-sudan-2709507; Keneth, Thomas. “President Salva Kiir Names the National Football Team, the Bright Star.” Gurtong, July 20, 2013. Accessed July 12, 2017. http://www.gurtong.net/ECM/Editorial/tabid/124/ctl/ArticleView/mid/519/articleId/12154/categoryId/19/President-Salva-Kiir-Names-The-National-Football-Team-The-Bright-Star.aspx
4 Kramer, Lobban, and Fluehr-Lobban, Historical Dictionary, 184; Alegi, Soccerscapes, 11; Sharkey, “Character,” 218, 222, 231–2; Wheeler, “Christianity in Sudan”; Anderson, Werner, and Wheeler, Day of Devastation, 283; Seri-Hersch, “Education,” 1 (abstract).
5 Darby, “Rally,” 223–4. See pp. 223–5 for Darby’s literature review on African football.
6 For an example of such Sudanese works, see the bibliographies of Kramer, Lobban, and Fluehr-Lobban, Historical Dictionary; Johnson, Sudan; Kuyok, South Sudan; and Rolandsen and Daly, Sudan.
7 Sharkey, Colonialism, 38.
8 Kramer, Lobban, and Fluehr-Lobban, Historical Dictionary, 184; Alegi, Soccerscapes, 11; Sharkey, “Character,” 218, 222, 231–2.
9 Sharkey, Colonialism, 44, as taken from Alegi, Soccerscapes, 11.
10 Sharkey, Colonialism, 46; Alegi, Soccerscapes, 11 (citing Sharkey, Colonialism, 11) and 16; Eli, Isaac. “Sports in the Schools.” Nile Mirror, November 11, 1971 (from which “keen masters” quote is taken); R.C. Garrett, “History of Football in the Sudan,” SAD 479/8/5, 1949 (Owen quotation here); Niblock, Sudan, 139.
11 See Sharkey, “Chronicles”, quotation at 55.
12 Moorcraft, Al-Bashir, 25; Kramer, Lobban, and Fluehr-Lobban, Historical Dictionary, 14–15, 459; Abbas, “Growth,” 31; D.F. Hawley, “Note on Sudanese Nationalism,” Durham University Special Collections Library, Durham (HAW) 1/3/15, June 17, 1946; Deng, Power, 132; Pitya, “Evangelism,” 335–6; Powell, Colonialism, 208; Vezzadini, Lost Nationalism, 79–82.
13 Garrett, “History of Football”; SAD 479/8/5, 10, quotation from the latter.
14 Sikainga, “Labor,” 39–40, quotation at 40.
15 Ahmad, “Khartoum,” 28.
16 R.C. Garrett, SAD 783/5/2 [c. 1943]; R.C. Garrett, “Football in the Sudan Rapid Growth of the S.F.A.,” SAD 783/5/5 [1946]; Ward, Sudan, 98; Garrett, “History of Football,” SAD 479/8/17.
17 Garrett, SAD 783/5/2 [c. 1943] and Garrett, “History of Football,” SAD 479/8/20.
18 Garrett, “Rapid Growth,” SAD 783/5/5; “A Country Study,” 9.
19 T.H.B. Mynors, SAD 777/8/8, 1982; Alegi, Soccerscapes, 58; Garrett, “Rapid Growth,” SAD 783/5/9.
20 Garrett, “History of Football,” SAD 479/8/87-89; Wingate, Captivity, 221, 222, 224.
21 Alegi, Soccerscapes, 22 where quotes come from; Dorsey, Soccer, 32.
22 Garrett, “History of Football,” SAD 479/8/69.
23 Ibid., SAD 479/8/87-88.
24 Kramer, Lobban, and Fluehr-Lobban, Historical Dictionary, xxxviii and 62; Barsella and Guixot, “Major Dates,” 2; and Baum, “Sudan,” 1796.
25 Beshir, Sudan, 152, as taken Aguda, “Arabism,” 184.
26 Barsella and Guixot, “Major Dates,” 2; Kramer, Lobban, and Fluehr-Lobban, Historical Dictionary, xxxix, 16, 17, 70–1, 78–9, 276.
27 “Sudan” (FIFA); T.H.B. Mynors, SAD 777/8/8, 1982.
28 Alegi, Soccerscapes, 11, 16, 64; Sharkey, Colonialism, 47; Fadl, “Abdel,” 1446; Kramer, Lobban, and Fluehr-Lobban, Historical Dictionary, 282–3; and Elhadd, “Halim”. See also, FIFA. “President Mourns Sudan’s Loss.” April 17, 2009. Accessed October 3, 2017. https://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/news/y=2009/m=4/news=president-mourns-sudan-loss-1049086.html.
29 Alegi, Soccerscapes, 65.
30 Kramer, Lobban, and Fluehr-Lobban, Historical Dictionary, xxxviii–xxxix, 14, 15, 16; Baum, “Sudan,” 1795.
31 Baum, “Sudan,” 1796; Kramer, Lobban, and Fluehr-Lobban, Historical Dictionary, xxxix, 17; Wawa, Pursuits, 13; Barsella and Guixot, “Major Dates,” 2, 3; Shillington, History, 400.
32 Smith, “Christian,” 357, 358.
33 Llewellyn Gwynne to G.F.P. Blythe, SAD 420/3/60, October 19, 1913.
34 See Kramer, Lobban, and Fluehr-Lobban, Historical Dictionary, xxxvii; Snape, Redcoat, 225; Ahmed, Design, 59–60, 62; Wheeler, “Christianity in Sudan”; Sharkey, “Christians,” 56–7; Johnson, Sudan, 113; Watson, Sorrow, 131–2; Pitya, “Evangelism,” 167–8.
35 Garrett, “History of Football,” SAD 479/8/194-196.
36 Anderson, Werner, and Wheeler, Day of Devastation, 246–8 and Garrett, “History of Football,” SAD 479/8/172, 196 and 241–2.
37 [Richard] Owen to Rosemary [Owen], SAD 414/1/22-23, [15 December 1926 – 8 December 1927].
38 I.M. Beasley, SAD 657/7/32, 1946 and Anderson, Werner, and Wheeler, Day of Devastation, 251, 258–9.
39 Garrett, “History of Football,” SAD 479/8/194, 196.
40 Garrett, “History of Football,” SAD 479/8/195 and Cecil L. Price to “Mrs Stokes”, Church Missionary Society Archives, Birmingham (CMS) ACC111 F1/15, June 2, 1923.
41 A.G. Hickson, “Yei Elementary Vernacular School Report,” South Sudan National Archive, Juba (SSNA) EP 379, Folder EP 46.C.2.2, June 8, 1935.
42 Garrett, “History of Football,” SAD 479/8/171-172, 194 and Kramer, Lobban, and Fluehr-Lobban, Historical Dictionary, 456–7.
43 Eli, “Sports”; I.M. Beasley, SAD 657/7/43, April 8, 1946.
44 “Rejaf E.V. School visited December 15th.16th.1943.” SSNA EP 378, Folder 46.C.1.3, January 17, 1944.
45 Garrett, “History of Football,” SAD 479/8/197.
46 Anderson, Werner, and Wheeler, Day of Devastation, 283.
47 C. Lea-Wilson, “Tidings from the Rev. C. Lea-Wilson, in Charge of the School for the Sons of Chiefs.” CMS ACC111 F1/8, October 20, 1920 and C. Lea-Wilson, “Circular Letter from the Rev. C. Lea Wilson,” CMS ACC111 F1/8, November 18, 1920.
48 I.M. Beasley, SAD 204/11/3, April 1946 (see 204/11/1-2) and Garrett, “History of Football,” SAD 479/8/196.
49 A.G. Hickson, “Sacred Heart Intermediate School Okaru. Visited November 22nd & 24th. 1934.” SSNA Box EP 381, Folder EP.46.C.3.5 [Summer 2012 designation], December 20, 1934; A.G. Hickson, “Torit Normal School. Visited December 11th 1936.” SSNA Box EP 380, Folder 46.C.3.2.A [Summer 2012 designation], January 21, 1937.
50 J. Hartley, “Rejaf Elementary Vernacular School. Visited May 3rd 1938.” SSNA Box EP 378, Folder EP.46.C.1.3 [Summer 2012 designation], June 6, 1938.
51 Mangan, “Ethics,” 368; for quotation, Mangan cites in fn. 32 G.F. Earl, “A School’s Opportunity in the Southern Sudan,” Church Missionary Outlook (1937), 154.
52 Garrett, “History of Football,” SAD 479/8/196-197.
53 Vaughan, Darfur, 7–9, quotation at 9.
54 M. Christine Selwyn to friends, CMS ACC111 F1/23, no date.
55 Garrett, “History of Football,” SAD 479/8/196.
56 B.J. de Sarum, “Report for the year 1945.” SSNA Box EP 379, Folder EP.46.C.1.12 [Summer 2012 designation], December 16, 1945.
57 Harrop, “Nugent,” 18.
58 Johnson, Sudan, 109.
59 Johnson, Sudan, 109; Idris, Conflict, 40.
60 SSNA Box ZD 29 Folder ZD.17.E [Summer 2012 designation], A.G. Hickson, “Review of Education Progress” [1933] 17. Dating is presumed from SSNA Box ZD 29 Folder ZD.17.E [Summer 2012 designation], “Education in the Southern Sudan. Record of Proceedings at an Educational Conference Held at Juba” [April 1933]. For Hickson’s position see SSNA EP 380, Folder 46.C.3.2.A, “Torit Trades School. Visited May 22nd., 1933,” 2.
61 Tounsel, “God,” 149–50.
62 Quote and other information on the Torit Normal School are taken from Hickson, “Review of Education Progress” SSNA Box ZD 29 Folder ZD.17.E [Summer 2012 designation], 40.
63 Nikkel, Dinka, 263 and fn. 4. (same page) for example articles.
64 T.R.H. Owen, “Sudan Days,” SAD 769/10/73-74, 1960–1961.
65 B.J. de Sarum, “Report for the year 1945.” SSNA Box EP 379, Folder EP.46.C.1.12 [Summer 2012 designation], December 16, 1945.
66 “Catholic Mission Torit” SSNA Box TD 101 Folder TD.46.C.1, June 19, 1946, 1.
67 Grace Riley, “No Drums at Dawn,” CMS/ACC284 Z1, 1972. For identifying information see “No Drums,” 47.
68 Baum, “Sudan,” 1796–7; Wawa, Pursuits, 14–15.
69 Baum, “Sudan,” 1797; Wawa, Pursuits, 15–16; Kramer, Lobban, and Fluehr-Lobban, Historical Dictionary, xl, xlii.
70 Alegi, Soccerscapes, 65–8, 71; Claude Barnett Papers, Melville J. Herskovits Library of African Studies, Northwestern University, Box 28, Folder 5, “Sudan General Elections Postponed” African World April 1957, [35]; “Sudan” (FIFA); Encyclopedia Britannica, “Nations”.
71 Email from Kuyok Abol Kuyok to author, August 9, 2017.
72 Dorsey, Soccer, 12 (for quote) and 28.
73 Garrett, “History of Football,” SAD 479/8/172.
74 O’Ballance, Sudan, 28; Poggo [co-author], “Mboro, Clement,” 289–90; William K. Du Val to friends, December 11, 1964, quoting an earlier correspondence from December 8, 1964. Presbyterian Historical Society (PHS), United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Commission on Ecumenical Mission and Relations Office of the General Secretary Records, Box 1 Folder 10; Tayar, Graham. “A Shaky Peace in the Sudan.” The Observer, December 13, 1964.
75 Kuyok, South Sudan, 116–17, 250, 476–7.
76 Awad, “Football,” 1008–9, quotation at 1009.
77 Montague, op. cit.
78 Ibid.
79 Okeleji, Oluwashina. “New South Sudan Coach Abdelmalek Urges Fans to How Support.” BBC Sport. Accessed 20 April, 2018. https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/43366260.