Police arrest, imprison football fan after El Obeid match

Military police arrested a senior supporter of the Hilal El Tabaldi football team which played a match in El Obeid Stadium on Wednesday.

After the arrest of the fan, El Mahjoub Mohamed Ahmed, he was transferred to the military headquarters, where he spent the night in custody and was taken to prison the next morning.

The state government issued an emergency order for El Mahjoub to be transferred to El Obeid prison the same day.

Witnesses at the match informed Radio Dabanga that El Mahjoub became angry after Hilal El Tabaldi lost the match against De Sango from Mozambique (0-2), thereby leaving the Africa Confederation Cup.

The supporter protested against coach Abrahoma, saying he was a “failed coach”. Soldiers of the military police arrested him immediately, and transferred him to prison to spend an unknown number of months behind bars under state emergency measures.

The arrest and imprisonment of El Mahjoub has provoked widespread reactions and condemnations among football fans in El Obeid and North Kordofan. Several athletes in El Obeid called upon the authorities to repeal the emergency measures and release him immediately.

Suspension

In 2017, FIFA imposed a ban on Sudan’s international football activities in June after two groups claimed control of the country's football association in April. FIFA which prohibits governmental interference in the running of a member association.

The ban was dropped after measures were taken in Sudan, however, the ban came too late for the Sudanese Hilal El Obeid in the Africa Confederation Cup, and the teams of El Merrikh and El Hilal which played in the African Champions League.

The arrival of the World Cup in Sudan is seen as a symbol that relations between FIFA and Sudan have normalised.