South Sudan Football Association Protests Attempts by JLFA to Reorganize, Dismisses Steering Committee as Illegal Body

According to the press release from the South Sudan Football Association (SSFA), they have protested against the attempts made by the Juba Local Football Association (JLFA) board to reorganize itself. The SSFA had previously suspended the JLFA over a dispute regarding the ownership of the Juba football stadium.

The SSFA board stated that they do not recognize the steering committee formed by the JLFA as a legal body. They asserted that until the committee’s formation procedure is deemed fully legal, the SSFA cannot work with them. During a meeting held on May 24, the SSFA board reviewed the issues related to the steering committee and subsequently dismissed the interim body in their resolutions.

Albino Kuek Deng, the spokesperson for the SSFA, mentioned that the formation of the steering committee by the JLFA violates Article 6 and Article 17 of the unified statute of the JLFA (2012) and Article 16 (k) of the SSFA Statute (2012, amended 2021). The SSFA board emphasized that the club caucus body is not recognized as a legal entity and is not stipulated in any law of the SSFA, hence they cannot call for any assembly meeting.

The SSFA board of directors expressed their openness to any legally followed procedure outlined in the unified statute for Local Football Association (2012, Article 6). They believe that the case of the suspended JLFA board awaits the SSFA general assembly and that Juba Local FA cannot be run by two parallel bodies.

The SSFA board urged the JLFA general assembly to adhere to the rules and regulations governing the formation of bodies and ensure that all activities are conducted in accordance with the statutes of the Local Football Association (2012) and the SSFA Statute (2012, amended 2021).