Prominent footballer Badredin Musa is encouraging fellow youths of the Nuba Mountains not to leave sports but instead to train hard so that they will be ready to compete once peace returns to Sudan and the Nuba Mountains.

Before the war, Badredin played for Mereikh FC of Kadugli. When he came home to visit his parents in Al-Lazerag in 2011 his intention was to go back to his team a few days later but then the war broke out suddenly. He was not able to return to his football club after the war and instead currently he plays for a local team called Jebel Tahrir from his own home area.

Badredin Musa says he is hopeful that the Nuba will one day witness peace and that is why the youth are determined to train themselves in order to become strong players for the future. He pointed out that sports can also bring unity and understanding among different communities.

According to the footballer, there are many youths in the Nuba Mountains who are ready for sports but there are only about seven football teams in the SPLM-N controlled areas and limited resources to support sports. One challenge is lack of balls for practice. Another is the lack of transportation between areas, making it hard for teams to meet for friendly matches.

Additionally, youths have feared to gather together for practices due to occasional aerial bombardments. Areas including Heiban, Kauda and Um Dorein towns have been bombed, and last year jet fighters dropped several bombs inside a football field in Kauda. Another problem is that many youths have moved out of the state,

File photo: Youths practice football in the Nuba Mountains