Italian-born head coach of Sudan's El Merriekh Giovanni Solinas, takes his side to second round of African Championship|Photo|Eye Radio

The Italian-born head coach, of Sudan’s Al-Merreikh Giovanni Solinas has expressed admiration for what he describes as high-quality Juba National Stadium after his  team’s strong performance in the African Championship.

Mr Solinas was gratified by the  warm welcome from South Sudanese and the hospitality he continued to receive from Juba folks.

Giovanni hopes that Al-Merreikh will continue playing its matches at Juba National Stadium, especially after their recent success in qualifying for the second round of the African Championship.

They secured this advancement by defeating Libya’s Al-Nasr team with a 2-0 victory. The goals were scored by Ivorian player Ahmed Gbane, one in the second minute of stoppage time in the first half and another in the 73rd minute of the second half.

The first leg of the match in Libya had ended in a goalless draw. In the return match, the Libyan team adopted a defensive approach, ceding possession to Al-Merreikh, who created multiple scoring opportunities. Were it not for the outstanding performance of the Libyan goalkeeper, the final score could have been even more decisive

He says they are feeling at home playing on a third generation football pitch.

“First of all, I am very happy because the grass here is good and the field is good. We are right here from Nigeria where we played the preseason but the training field is very difficult, and pitch very bad.

“They killed us because there is no artificial grass . The stadium is very old – not good at all, and we had a lot of problems.

“We now find a good condition, the stadium very nice. They (players) feel the third-generation stadium has good impact to their feet and physic.   So, we  feel at home with everything positive,” he said.

Al-Merreikh, the Sudanese qualifier, is set to face the winner of the match between the Royal Moroccan Army and the Nigerian Remo Stars in the first preliminary round of the African Champions League.

This decisive match is scheduled for tomorrow, Sunday.

Last week, the Nigerian Remo Stars secured a 2-1 victory against the Royal Moroccan Army in their first-leg encounter in Nigeria.

The reopening ceremony of Juba National Stadium on July 11 of this year was a significant event attended by President Salva Kiir of South Sudan and FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

The $7.5 million renovation of the stadium with a capacity of 7.500 seats was funded through FIFA’s Forward Program, aimed at supporting football development worldwide.

The stadium has been a venue for the South Sudanese and Sudanese national teams as they participate in the qualifiers for the 2028 World Cup, which will be held in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Additionally, it has hosted matches for clubs such as Al-Merreikh and Jamus from South Sudan, as well as Al-Hilal and Al-Merreikh from Sudan.