Results specialist, Sudan will return to the African Nations championship, CHAN 2022 this January in Algeria.
How they got here
This time around, they toppled Djibouti to reach the finals. The journey to Algeria took them to Morocco for the first-leg of the second round of the qualifier.
During the away game in Rabat, they punished Djibouti 4-1 before returning home to inflict a 3-2 win at the Hilal Stadium. The tie ended 7-3 on aggregate in favor of Sudan.
At the final whistle Sudan took another appointment for a CHAN competition – marking their return to the competition they lastly featured appeared in back in 2018.
They will be one of the CECAFA representatives at the event.
Nickname: The Secretarybirds
Just like the senior team, the CHAN team carry the nickname Secretary Birds.
It is a name derived from Arabic word “saqr-et- tair” meaning the Hunter bird
The Coach
One will not be wrong to say that this Sudan team heading to Algeria is in safe hands.
Led by experienced trainer Burhan Tia who guided the senior national selection last January at the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, Sudan has one of the few coaches with tournament experience in the tournament.
Tia was appointed coach of the local and senior teams in December 2021. He replaced French man Hubert Velud.
The Sheikh of coaches as he is fondly called has the expectations of a nation on him.
Though his side only fetched a point in Cameroon and they finished bottom of their group, seems like yesterday since he led his nation to conquer CECAFA in 2007 and Al Merreikh to win the 2014 CECAFA tournament.
In all honesty, Sheikh has all it takes to excel especially given that he still has some of the players who appeared in that Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Cameroon.
The seventh edition of the tournament will mark Sudan’s third appearance in the event. They made their competition’s debut on home soil in 2011 and didn’t disappoint.
Inspired by striker Mudather El Tahir, Sudan top a group A that had Gabon, Algeria and Uganda. They finished the group stages unbeaten with seven points. In the end, the hosts reached the semi final. Unfortunately, they lost to Angola on post-match penalties, but ended on a high by defeating Algeria 1-0 to claim bronze.
That run was considered a success by many across the country and reminded the continent of Sudan’s history about the game on the continent.
Unfortunately, it took up to seven years for the local The Secretarybirds birds to return to the tournament.
Fast track in Morocco, the Sudanese touch was on show again.
Like in 2011, they picked up seven points from the three group matches, but this time around they finished second in the group behind hosts.
Morocco whose superior goal difference made the difference.
Sudan edged Zambia in the quarter, lost to Nigeria in the semi-final but picked up bronze again. This time around they defeated Sudan on post-match penalties.
Gabon 0-1 Sudan
Mudather Atlayeb Karika 19′
Sudan 1-0 Uganda
Mudather Atlayeb Karika 9′
Sudan 0-0 Algeria
Sudan 1-1 Niger
Bakri 17’/ Modibo 65′
Sudan 1-1 Angola
Saif Eldin Ali 45/ Love 71″
Sudan 1-0 Algeria
Mudather Atlayeb Karika 37′
CHAN 2018
Guinea 1-2 Sudan
Sekou Camera 55′ / Koko 19′, Teiri 75
Sudan 1-0 Mauritania
Walaa Eldin 30′
Sudan 0-0 Morocco
Zambia 0-1 Sudan
Teiri 32′
Sudan 0-1 Nigeria
Okechukwu 19′
Lybia 1-1 Sudan
Ablo 84’/Walaa Eldin Ali 6′
Groups Fixtures
Sudan are in group D alongside alongside the Black Galaxies of Ghana, Madagascar and back- to-back champions Morocco.
Morocco Vs Sudan (January 15)
Sudan Vs Ghana (January 19)
Sudan Vs Madagascar (January 23)
Sudan will open their contest on January 15 against holders Morocco who plan to bring their Olympic team to the event.
They face Ghana on January 19 and wrap up the group stage against Madagascar four days later.
Competition’s top scorer:
Mudather El Tahir fondly called Karika is the country’s all time top scorer in the competition. The lethal finisher scored thrice en route to the third place finish 12 years ago. He resigned from the beautiful game three years ago. He is building a career around the game and is expected to return in a different role.
Saif Terry came close to equally his tally in 2018 in Morocco but was a goal short. He scored twice during the event. These days he scores goals for a living at Egyptian side Pharco FC.
Best Performance
The back-to-back third place finish in 2011 and 2018 represents the country’s apex in the tournament.
Stars
Striker Mohamed Abdelrahman of Al Hilal striker and best Sudanese player last season Elsamany Elsawy of Al Merreikh and Mustafa Karshom best Sudanese defender on the books of Al Merreikh are expected to light up the stage for Sudan.
Mohamed has scored twice in four CAF Champions League games this season for Al Hilal, an indication of his mettle.
The lethal finisher is no stranger to scoring in international football. Once upon a regular scorer for the country’s youth categories, he has scored ten goals in 24 appearances for the senior team since his debut in August 2017.
The 29-year-old native of Umbada is a very solid foundation on which Sudan can build it’s CHAN 2022 aspirations.
Unsung Hero
Goalkeeper Mohammed Elmustafa has been crucial to the results achieved by this generation of Sudan players.
Though he conceded three against Djibouti in the qualifiers, the full Sudan international is one of the pillars of the national team.
Most Successful Club
Al Merreikh and Hilal Merreikh won African Cup Winners’ Cup 1989 and won CECAFA cup 3 times and reached final of confederation cup 2007 and semi final of champions League 2015 and reached the group stage of champions League in actual edition.
Al Hilal reached the final of champions League on two occasions time (87 and 92) and he reached semi final four times and is the club with participation in champions League having emerged champions 36 times.
Squad
The coach has named an initial 19 named a 19 man squad for the ongoing camp in Tunisia.
Ali Muhammad, Al-Mustafa Kadiaba
Defenders
Salah Nimr, Hamza Daoud, Karshoum, Mazen Muhammadin, Al-Sadiq Al-Juraif, Awad Zaid, Ayman Abdel-Rahman, Moayad Abdeen
Midfielders
Wali Al-Din, Salah Adel, Muwaffaq Siddiq, Abdul Raouf, Al-Samani Al-Sawy, Al-Takt, Ammar Tayfour, Amjad Sarariya, Musab Kardman, Ali Abdullah, Abdullah Adam
Midfielders
Wali Al-Din, Salah Adel, Muwaffaq Siddiq, Abdul Raouf, Al-Samani Al-Sawy, Al-Takt, Ammar Tayfour, Amjad Sarariya, Musab Kardman, Ali Abdullah, Abdullah Adam
Strikers
Yasser Muzammil, the sieve, the torch
Al-Fatih Jadin, Siddik Kuwa, Al-Jazouli Noah
Source: Kick442.com/Cameroon
