Sudanese football is currently enjoying a great renaissance in the past couple of years. The great form of local powerhouses Al-Hilal and Al-Merrikh has had a great impact on the overall performance of the national team which consists primarily of players from both sides and no foreign based players. Players like Faisal Agab, Richard Gastin, Haitham Mustafa, Haitham Tumbal, and Al Moez Mahgoub have retained the pride that the Desert Hawks once had in the early days of the African Cup of Nations. The Sudanese players are very physical and depend on their pace and stamina in settling games. Their run to the Ghana finals was very impressive as they managed to win five of their six qualifying games, scoring 13 goals and conceding only four in the process. They finished their qualifying group in first place, ahead of 2004 African champions Tunisia who advanced as runners-up. Even though Sudan are by no means favorites to win the African title, which they only won once before in 1970, they can still make it to the second round if they can capitalize on Egypt's poor form away from home in what is expected to be a very tense ‘Nile Derby'. The fact that Cameroon are not as strong as they once has made the Sudanese more confident they can also take on the Lions. Star Player: Faisal Agab Faisal Agab is the inspiration of the Sudanese national team with his goal scoring and dribbling skills that complement his leadership and vision.
Agab He began his professional career in 1993 with Kooper club and completed a move to Al-Merrikh in 1997 after a very controversial process. Merrikh officials were forced to hide Agab for 40 days so arch-rivals Al-Hilal wouldn't snap him up before the deal was finalized. Agab, who plays in the attacking midfielder position is the pride of the Merrikh fans who see him as the driving force behind their team's great performances on the local and continental levels over the past few years. The 37-year-old is currently the highest scoring active player in the Khartoum derby with five goals. He is also Sudan's all time top scorer in African competitions. Agab, who won the Sudanese top scorer award twice, enjoyed a very successful season in 2007 that saw him guide Merrikh to the final of the CAF Confederation Cup where they lost to Tunisian outfit Sfaxien. Coach: Mohamed Abdallah (Sudanese) Abdallah is one of very few local coaches who will lead their national teams in Ghana. He took over the Sudanese national team in July 2004 as the team was starting their 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign. Abdallah, nicknamed ‘Mazda' by Sudanese fans, was working as an assistant coach for local side Al-Merrikh when he got the job and was promoted to head coach when German Otto Pfister left the team to coach Cameroon. He holds both positions until now. Abdallah is widely credited for the exemplary form that the Desert Hawks have shown over the past two and half years.
