Al-Hilal’s hope to move to Tanzania inspires war-torn Sudan – DW – 05/03/2024

There are practical reasons why Sudan’s biggest club, Al Hilal SC, is leaving its homeland, but the club’s wish is that its departure also brings hope to people suffering in the country’s current conflict.

“The people of Sudan need to see that there is more to life than war,” Al Hilal commercial director Abdelqadir Musa told DW. “They need to see something on TV or hear something on the radio or television that’s about sports and not just about war and fighting.”

Al-Hilal is a Sudanese powerhouse and well known in Africa and the Arab world, having won 29 league titles and twice finishing runners-up in the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions League, the largest club competition. of the continent. However, in Sudan football has come to a standstill.

Civil war

The outbreak of civil war in April 2023 changed everything. Large areas of Omdurman, Al-Hilal’s hometown, have been reduced to rubble, with empty shops and offices riddled with bullet holes and unexploded shells.

Fighting between two rival military groups, the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, has been intense since the start of the war. Around 15,000 people have died and an estimated eight million of the country’s 47 million people have been internally displaced. Around two million people have gone abroad.

Al-Hilal are doing the same and announced in March that they will play in the Tanzanian Premier League next season. It seemed like there was no other option.

“For the Club to continue functioning, the players’ contracts must be valid and last,” Musa said. Next season’s CAF Champions League is vital for the club: “They can make money in that campaign, which can keep the club going, but they need players to keep playing.”

But that alone is not enough, adds Musa. “It is a seasonal tournament and at any time you can be eliminated. There has to be regular football, otherwise the players will leave. They had to look for another league.”

Move to another house

When Al-Hilal made it clear that he wanted to explore options, he also received offers from Libya and Mauritania. Tanzania was chosen because the team had fond memories of being based in the country’s largest city, Dar Es Salaam, during the group stage of the 2023-24 CAF Champions League.

“Al-Hilal was received very warmly there and I witnessed more than 5,000 Tanzanian fans come and support Al-Hilal,” Collins Okinyo, former CAF press officer, told DW. “It was a great occasion. The people there love football and people will welcome it back. It will be a second home for them.”

Although the games will not be officially competitive — points will not be offered and will not be part of the ranking — Al-Hilal hopes the move will keep players on their toes.

“We are doing everything we can to help an African team that is going through a difficult time,” a spokesperson for the Tanzania Football Federation told DW. “It will also add something different to our league for our fans.”

symbol of hope

There is a history of football making a difference in African countries going through conflict.

“Look at Didier Drogba, he asked those involved in the Ivory Coast civil war to stop and they did,” Okinyo said. “Football can bring people together.”

After qualifying for the first World Cup in 2006 (ironically with a victory in Sudan), Drogba, a huge star, grabbed a microphone and addressed his nation.

“Men and women of the Ivory Coast,” he said. “From the north, the south, the center and the west, we have shown today that all Ivorians can coexist and play together with a common goal: to qualify for the World Cup. We promised you that the celebrations would unite the people; today we promised you we pray. “on our knees.”

In 2007, the striker announced that a match would be played in the rebel stronghold of Bouaké, where there were scenes of joy and celebration following the victory over Madagascar. Drogba’s words and actions helped bring both sides to the negotiating table and, although peace was not permanent, football brought hope to the nation.

No matter how successful Al-Hilal’s move is, everyone hopes the situation is temporary. “The people of Sudan want the war to end as soon as possible,” Musa said. “So many people have suffered, so many have been displaced and so many have lost their jobs.”

Al-Hilal playing football in another country could also remind the rest of Africa and the world that the conflict continues. As Musa said: “When it started, there was a lot of coverage in the media, but it’s gone on so long that it’s not talked about as much now.”

Edited by: Jonathan Harding