Sudan National Team List for AFCON Raises Doubts Over Exclusion of Professionals

The list of the Sudanese national team preparing to participate in the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco from next Sunday until January 18, 2026, lacked prominent and shining names active in European leagues as well as the Australian league. Sudanese sports press blamed the Sudan Football Association and the dismissal of Ghanaian coach Kwasi Appiah for overlooking these names, which constitute a source of strength for the team and the ability to lead Sudan to achieve remarkable results and reach advanced stages of the African tournament if they were included in the current squad.

Sudanese media outlets listed the names of players who were bypassed by the current Falcons of Jediane squad, headed by Amer Abdullah, a player for Dutch club Deinze, Mohamed Adly, goalkeeper at English club Southampton, Jamal Ali, right-back for Australian club Hild, Abdulrahman Koko and Mohamed Adam who also play in the Australian league, and Youssef Ali in the Finnish league.

Also mentioned were Sami Abdel Mahmoud, a player for Dutch club Heerenveen, and Sabel Osman, defender for Danish club Randers. The newspapers warned against ignoring these names in the future, especially since some were offered foreign nationality but some called for patience in order to have the chance to wear their original country's jersey, indicating their desire to join the Sudanese squad.

Local newspapers warned of the risk of repeating the negative results achieved by the team in the current Arab Cup after finishing last in Group D with only one point, obtained after a goalless draw against Algeria, and defeats against Iraq and Bahrain.

The current list consists of 27 players: Munjid Al-Neel, Ali Abu Othreen, Mohamed Al-Nour Abuja, Mohamed Irnaq, Al-Tayeb Abdelrazak, Yasser Awad, Bakhit Khamis, Awad Zayed, Ahmed Tabanja, Mohamed Kasra, Abu Aqla Abdullah, Wali Al-Din Khidr, Abdulraouf Yacoub, Ammar Tayfour, Salah Adel, Mousa Kante, Shadi Ezzeldin, Amer Younis, Yasser Mazmel, Mohamed Abdelrahman, John Manu, Mohamed Issa, Abubakr Issa, Al-Jazouli Noah, and Mohamed Tia Asad.

The Falcons of Jediane team plays in a group that includes Algeria, Burkina Faso, and Equatorial Guinea. They will start their first match against Algeria on December 24, then face Equatorial Guinea on December 28, and conclude their group matches against Burkina Faso on December 31.