Salaam Football Club of Bor in Jonglei State has announced its withdrawal from participation in the upcoming Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions League citing financial difficulties.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj, the club’s president, Lo Lomuro, said his team was unable to travel to Morocco to participate in the CAF Champions League due to financial constraints.
“Despite our best efforts including paying for the referees’ tickets and other preparations, we were unable to secure the necessary travel arrangements and tickets for our team promptly,” he explained. “This has left us with no choice but to withdraw from the competition.”
Lomuro revealed that the three telecommunications companies, MTN, Zain, and Digital had promised to cover the cost of the team’s travel to Morocco, but later reneged on their undertaking.
He however clarified that Digital donated USD 10,000 to the club but it was insufficient to cater for the team’s travel to Morocco.
Salaam FC Bor was to face the Sudan’s FC Al-Hilal in the CAF preliminary round which will run from 21 to 26 August. However, this decision means the Sudanese team will automatically qualify to go to the second round of the games.