South Sudan President Kiir, Infantino inaugurate Juba National Stadium

The President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir Mayardit and Gianni Infantino, the FIFA President have today inaugurated the Juba National Stadium.

Fifa under the FIFA Forward programme funded the refurbishment of the 7,500 seater Stadium based in the center of Juba Town.

Kiir and Infantino inaugurated the Stadium in-front of close to 5,000 people ahead of a FIFA World Cup qualifier match between South Sudan and Sudan, which the visitors later won 3-0 .

” We thank the President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir and the government, and FIFA under the leadership of Infantino for  the support in seeing this dream come true to have this Stadium today that we are ready to start hosting international matches, ” Augustino Maduot Parek, the President of the South Sudan Football Association (SSFA).

FIFA President Infantino also thanked the government of South Sudan and the South Sudan Football Association (SSFA) for the good work in developing Football. “This is a great occasion. It is a great opportunity to showcase South Sudan, to showcase the youth of this country, which has so much talent, and it’s our joint responsibility to give this talent an opportunity. Now, this talent, when it comes to football, has the opportunity to play in a brand-new national stadium, which FIFA has been contributing, but it has been a teamwork of all of us to build. And today, we have a beautiful jewel here in South Sudan,” added the FIFA President.

The other dignitaries who attended the inaugural ceremony included the FIFA General Secretary Mattias Grafström, Davis Ndayisenga, the Head of the FIFA Development Office in Kigali, CECAFA President Wallace Karia and his Executive Director John Auka Gecheo. The FA President of Ethiopia Esayas Jira also attended the function.

South Sudan was officially admitted as a CAF member on 10th, February 2012 at the 34th CAF Ordinary General Assembly hosted in Libreville, Gabon, and admitted as a FIFA member on 25th, May 2012 at the second session of the 62nd FIFA Congress hosted in Budapest, Hungary.