Head coach of Sudan, Kwesi Appiah, has acknowledged the challenges of playing their home games away due to the ongoing civil unrest in the country, but he also highlighted how it has fueled his players’ determination to perform.
During the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers, the Falcons of Jediane were forced to host their matches in foreign venues.
This was a direct result of the violence and instability plaguing Sudan, with the UN’s October report warning that the country’s population was facing “violence, hunger, disease, and displacement,” with nearly 25 million people in urgent need of humanitarian aid.
Appiah, who has previously coached the Ghanaian national team, the Black Stars, before being dismissed in 2020, admitted that the situation has been tough.
However, he emphasized that it also motivated his players to give their best.
“Playing away from home has been difficult but I spoke to my players and I told them that due to the unrest, they should see any place we play our home games as their home ground,” he explained.
“This helped us to prepare our minds for the games. Knowing the situation, the players accepted to play even different roles because they were interested in achieving our target,” he added.
Despite these significant challenges, Appiah has guided Sudan to qualification for the 2025 AFCON, which will be held in Morocco from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026.
Sudan’s only AFCON title came in 1970 when they hosted the tournament, but they have only progressed beyond the group stage once and have participated in just three of the last 24 editions.