Cobra Sports Club in Egypt for BAL competition
Cobra Sports Club, South Sudan’s basketball champions, touched down in Cairo, Egypt, ahead of their participation in the Basketball Africa League 2022 (BAL).
It is the first time since independence that the South Sudanese basketball team will be participating in the Basketball Africa League 2022 (BAL) next year.
The South Sudanese giants were in the same group as Egyptian champions, Zamalek, Angola’s Petro Atlético, Congo’s Espoir Fukash, and South Africa’s Cape Town.
They will face the hosts, Zamalek, on Saturday, April 9, and their second leg will be against Petro Atletico of Angola.
Before departure, Jidu Riak, the Cobra Sports Club co-captain, affirmed the squad’s readiness for the competition and urged supporters to support the team to provide extra inspiration.
“The team is prepared and ready to confront any team that comes their way. But what we want from our fans is for them to be behind us and provide essential support to the team. “
“On the squad’s behaviour, I want to thank everyone for helping the team get to this point from the beginning, especially for taking care of the players, and we urged them to have the same spirit,” the captain continued.
Meanwhile, South Sudan Football Association (SSFA) President, Gen. Augustino Maduot, encouraged the team to work hard and confidently to raise the country’s flag aloft.
“Nothing will come out of nothing, it will come only if you put more effort into it, play as a team, and have the heart for the country, “Gen. Maduot stressed.
“If you win there, it will be the whole country’s celebration, and you will see people coming together to celebrate your achievement. I believe sports can bring peace to us. Sports are our pride, “the former basketball president said.
More expectations
Maduot urged the government, private sector and well-wishers to work together to support the country’s sports.
Last year, the Cobra Sports Club qualified for the competition with outstanding performances against Burundi and Kenya, respectively.
Following their qualification, Cobra Sports Club head coach John Jevish Omondi commended the players for making it into the competition, saying it was the first step towards the club’s aim.
“What I can say is that we had a mission. The mission was to qualify for BAL and now the mission has been accomplished.
“The boys are very focused. Although we lost a couple of games, it was just the learning experience that enabled us not to progress in the first round, “but all in all, the boys learned and did what was expected of them,” he said.
Cobra Basketball Club is a South Sudanese basketball team based in Juba, and it has been in existence since 2017.
In 2020, Cobra played in its first continental games when it participated in the qualifiers for the 2020 BAL season. Cobra played in Group F in Antananarivo and ended in third place, missing out on advancing to the next round.
