War Pushes Mars Away to Rwanda, and Hilal Amid Moroccan Tremors
By Zein Osman
The war that began with its first gunshot in the Sports City of Khartoum in mid-April last year has left no place untouched in Sudan. The latest scenes of the armed forces war, along with the Rapid Support Forces, were broadcasted on social media, showing the destruction that reached the headquarters of the Sudan Football Association, near Khartoum Airport. As Khartoum turned into a battleground for death, a question arises in some minds: What is the state of football stadiums?
In Sudans polarized landscape, there is one polarity that stands above all, the Hilal and Merrikh rivalry, the zenith of Sudanese football, and the Amderman Derby, often representing the country in African competitions.
In the fifth month of the war, the Al-Arda district of Amderman, which hosts the stadiums of Hilal and Merrikh, reclaimed its historical name from the time of the Mahdist revolution in the 18th century when it was a place for military parades. Now, it has become a battlefield for combatants, devoid of residents. The stadiums have turned into resting places for fighters.
During the war, the headquarters of Hilal and Merrikh clubs were looted and vandalized, accompanied by the deaths of several football players. Former Hilal team captain, Saif Musawi, revealed two days ago that he and his family were beaten by armed men who broke into his house to rob it.
However, despite the ongoing war in Khartoum and other Sudanese cities, Sudanese football players did not throw in the towel. They continued their continental participation at the club and national team levels. In their first match of the African Champions League, Merrikh players raised a banner that read, Sudan is in our hearts.
Due to the ongoing war in Khartoum and the impossibility of holding matches within Sudan, the Merrikh team chose Rwanda for its football matches, as if it were rushing the steps to reconcile among Sudans factions, following Rwandas example.
Today, Merrikh will face the Young Africans team from Tanzania in Angola, with the hope of returning to Khartoum soon. There is no place like their stadium, and no chant closer to the hearts of their fans than the one that roars from their throats, With length and width, our Merrikh shakes the earth.
On the other hand, Hilal chose Morocco to play its African matches in the new edition of the Champions League, away from Al-Maqbara, the name given by its fans to its stadium, signifying defeating all opponents in the field located in Amderman.
As for the Blue Castles fans, the biggest two parties in Sudan, they miss the excitement of football and support. They wish for their country to win the Cup of Peace the most, and for the stadiums to return to hosting footsteps of competition rather than the absurdity of war and landmines.
