Sudanese Football: Migration Season to Libya
Alzain Osman
Tomorrow evening, Friday, for the fifth round of the African Champions League, Sudans Al-Hilal will face the Angolan team Interclube. The Sudanese Blue decided to move its match from Tanzanian stadiums to the Martyrs Stadium in Benghazi, Libya, after the April war deprived it of its stronghold in the heart of Omdurman.
After playing two matches in the Tanzanian capital, Dar es Salaam, Al-Hilal, the representative of Sudan in the African Champions League, chose to continue its journey from Libyan territories, specifically from Benghazi. This decision aims to benefit from the Sudanese fans present there, in the face of the Angolan team "Interclube," to preserve its chances of qualifying from the group where it competes with Tunisian teams, Esperance, and Etoile du Sahel.
The management of Al-Hilal justified its choice of Libya by the presence of the Sudanese fan base there, a support the Sudanese team needs to overcome the group, which includes strong competitors like Tunisian teams, in addition to the Angolan team.
The migration season to Libya does not seem to hold Al-Hilal hostage in its quest to secure its qualification for the next league. The Falcons of Al-Jediane had previously chosen Libyan territories and its stadiums to participate in the qualification matches for the World Cup. Al-Merrikh had also chosen the Martyrs Stadium in Benghazi as the venue for its matches in the previous edition of the African Champions League.
In Libya, Al-Hilal will find not only the support of Sudanese fans but also unparalleled support from Sudanese football players. Almost 12 Sudanese players have joined the Libyan Premier League during the current transfer period. At the top of the list is Al-Hilals striker, John Manu, who started his journey with the "Friendship" team, where he joined on loan. Manu, accompanied by former Hilal star Mergani Mukhtar, visited the Hilal mission headquarters in Benghazi.
At the same time, other players from Al-Merrikh club joined the migration season to Libya, where their clubs were welcomed. Among them are the striker Jazouli, the defender and leader of the Falcons, Bakheet Khamees, the Sudanese football icon Mohamed Hamed Al-Tayeb, who chose the "Coastal" club, midfielder Amar Tayfour, and the winger Eid Mokdam, who headed to Libya from Rwanda after a professional experience there.
Sudanese football players have not limited themselves to signing with Libyan clubs. In the Libyan Premier League, others have joined the first division clubs, a consequence of the ongoing war in Sudan that led to the suspension of sports activities. This step will benefit Sudanese stars, keeping them active away from the fields, preserving their careers. It will also contribute to raising the level of competition in Libyan football, which is currently experiencing a surge, benefiting from relative stability in the country in recent days.
The war forced Al-Hilal to move to Tanzania and then to Libya, the same war that prompted several Sudanese football stars to migrate to Libya to maintain their competitiveness and not stay away from the green fields, preserving their careers. Of course, the same war has turned football stadiums into war zones, brimming with death, which, a year ago, were full of life, cheers, and joy at the moment of scoring goals. There is no more beautiful goal that Sudanese players aspire to score now than a goal in the midst of war, moving them and their country to the league of continuing life amid their people and fans.
