By Hou Akot Hou
The Aweil South County Football Association has appealed to the leadership of the Bahr El Ghazal Counties Tournament (BCT) to resolve a dispute arising from its recent match against Rumbek North before the semi-final stage of the competition.
The appeal follows a match in Juba that was interrupted by a disturbance that reportedly resulted in injuries to players and supporters from both sides.
In a letter dated September 2026 and seen by the No. 1 Citizen Daily English Newspaper, John Lual Lual, president of the Aweil South County Football Association, said the team had not received a satisfactory response to its earlier complaint submitted on September 17, 2026.
“The management of the Aweil South County Team writes concerning our complaint and appeal submitted on 17 September 2026 against the decision to award the match to Rumbek North. Our concerns have not been satisfactorily addressed,” the letter stated.
The association called on the BCT leadership to resolve the matter before any semi-final match that depends on the disputed result is played.
It also requested an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the interruption and injuries sustained during the incident.
“The interruption and injuries require investigation. The Aweil South versus Rumbek North match was interrupted following a disturbance reportedly involving supporters, not weather or natural conditions,” the letter stated.
According to the appeal, several Aweil South players were injured during the incident, including the team’s goalkeeper, who reportedly required medical attention.
The association further asked the BCT leadership to establish what happened and determine responsibility before confirming the result of the match or imposing sanctions.
The Aweil South management also questioned the interpretation and application of Chapter Five, Rule 9 of the tournament regulations, which deals with match interruptions.
The association said its understanding was that Rule 9(A) applies when an interruption is caused by supporters, players, or officials of a participating team, while Rule 9(B) applies to interruptions caused by weather or other natural conditions and allows a match to resume from the exact minute at which it was stopped.
It urged the tournament leadership to apply the relevant rule equally depending on the findings of any investigation.
“If the Aweil South County supporters are found responsible, the applicable sanction under Rule 9(A) should be applied to Aweil South. If Rumbek North supporters are found responsible, the rule should be applied equally to Rumbek North,” the appeal stated.
John Lual Lual called on the BCT leadership to establish the facts surrounding the incident and determine who was responsible for the violence.
The dispute has also prompted criticism from some observers of the tournament, who have questioned the enforcement and implementation of its competition regulations.
The BCT leadership had not, at the time of publication, publicly responded to the appeal.