The South Sudan Football Association has done an incredible and commendable job in building a team which had lacked the ability out-compete international opponents for nine years. The Bright Stars went on a losing spree almost on every major international encounter they had.

However, the latest exciting display by the boys on international soccer arena conveys a message that the incapability the world has seen for almost ten years, appears to be a thing of the past.

South Sudan stunned Cameroon, the defending champions of the African Cup of Nations by holding them to a goalless draw in two consecutive friendly matches.

To further prove they mean business, the Bright Stars bounced back from a first leg defeat and beat Uganda in a bid to secure a spot in the Total African Cup of Nations slated for 2021. The win against the Cranes is the first recorded in a major competition.

But amid this massive stride, the home crowd have done, and are doing very little to cheer up the national team. The most astonishing evidence is the recent reception of the team after a very successful encounter against Uganda Cranes in Nairobi.

In a country where football is seen as one of the major drivers of economic growth, the national team players are given maximum supports, including special treatment to keep them mentally fit and professionally focused; not in South Sudan.

Dull euphoria, an inglorious parade of the national football team in an ordinary omnibus, perhaps hired from one of the public transport operators characterized what was supposed to be the heroic return of the Bright Stars into the country.

With the exception of a few online influencers beaming congratulatory messages to the national team, one cannot help but only wonder why the Juba International Airport Road had no crowd to welcome the team home.

The blame does go to the citizens entirely. The South Sudan Football Association made some correctible mistakes. No clear communication was made on the day the team would depart Nairobi for Juba so the crowd may gather to cheer them up.

Also, for national team players to be paraded using ordinary public transport omnibus is not only insulting to the status of the athletes but also portrays how less seriously the national football governing body takes the welfare of the players.

The SSFA can do better by appropriately utilizing the funds they get from their funding sources to purchase a club-designated bus to give a corporate identity to both players and the association. These are the little things which, when implemented boost players’ morale, and kill that morale when their relevance is overlooked.

When Belgium made it to the quarter final of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the road from the airport to their routes of parade was decorated with colours of the national flag; the moment was glorious.

The Belgium example seems far-fetched. Two weeks ago, Scotland secured their ticket to Euro 2020 after 23 years of draught when they beat Serbia 5-4 on penalty shootouts. That alone was enough for public figures and notable celebrities to suspend their personal activities and join in the celebration with the national team.

Great things come at a cost. As the Bright Stars head in for their two remaining fixtures against Malawi and Burkina Faso, the SSFA must embark on a campaign which draws citizens’ attention to support the team.

Politicians, the people with the keys to the public financial coffers, must step up to support the national team. Vice President Rebecca Nyandeng has made and is continuing to make commendable support to strengthen the country’s football governing body, the rest must join in and complement her effort.