Sudan's AFCON 2025 campaign is now in a state of uncertainty after the national team, the Jediane Falcons, have threatened to walk out of the tournament unless their unpaid financial benefits are fully paid before their first match.
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The players are upset because they haven't received bonuses and allowances they were promised from past international games, and their patience is running out as the continent’s biggest event approaches in Morocco.
Those close to the team say the situation had already gotten very serious during the preparation for the FIFA Arab Cup in Qatar, where the squad was almost ready to refuse to play.
That crisis was stopped just in time when a top official from the Sudanese Football Association (SFA) stepped in, talked to the players, and promised that all the unpaid money would be sorted out before the team went to Morocco for AFCON 2025.
But now, with the tournament already starting, those promises haven’t been fully kept, and the players are threatening to take more action.
Sudan is set to play Algeria in their Group D opener on Wednesday at the Stade Prince Moulay Hassan in Rabat, but there’s still a big concern hanging over the Falcons’ camp.
Even though the players are still committed to representing their country, they say they can’t continue if the football authorities keep breaking their trust.
This disagreement is putting a lot of pressure on the SFA, and there’s not much time left to stop a possible boycott during the AFCON event.
If nothing is done quickly, the situation could also mess up Sudan’s whole tournament performance.
As AFCON 2025 gets going in Morocco, Sudan should be focusing on their football, but the unresolved financial and administrative issues could spoil their participation unless something is done soon.