South Sudan part ways with French coach Nicolas Dupuis after two years in charge

[p]In a statement from SSFA headlined ‘Technical bench update regarding the senior national team’, and obtained by Flashscore, the Federation said the decision was reached through mutual consent.[/p][p][b]“We are here to officially announce that the Federation has reached an agreement to part ways with the head coach of the men’s senior team, Nicolas Dupuis,” [/b]read part of the statement.[/p][p]“This decision was reached through mutual consent. I am pleased to share that the discussions regarding this transition were handled with the utmost respect, and all amicable settlement arrangements have been finalized successfully.[/p][h2]A legacy of professionalism[/h2][p]The statement continued: [b]“We want to express our deepest gratitude to coach Dupuis for the services he has rendered over the last two years. Under his leadership, we have witnessed a significant transformation:[/b][/p][p][b]“Elevated Professionalism: His approach has instilled a new level of discipline within the squad.[/b][/p][p]“Unprecedented Competitiveness: He has lifted the team to achieve milestones previously out of reach, molding them into a competitive force that has made the nation proud.[/p][p][b]“We wish Dupuis nothing but the very best in his future endeavors.”[/b][/p][h2]Ashu Cyprian Besong takes charge[/h2][p]The statement further confirmed Ashu Cyprian Besong has been appointed on an interim basis to lead the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/bright-stars/xScu4GoA/"]Bright Stars[/a] ahead of their upcoming friendly matches against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/djibouti/0xAwONtF/"]Djibouti[/a].[/p][p][b]“For our upcoming two fixtures against Djibouti, the team will be managed by Ashu Cyprian Besong. We have full confidence in his ability to lead the players through this window,”[/b] the statement added.[/p][embed guid="3bdf86e1-6ea3-4b3a-b583-c134386f4f2f" url="https://x.com/MickyJnr__/status/2031630392558489826" social-type="twitter" /][p]In regards to appointing a coach on a permanent deal, the statement clarified: “The long-term future of the men’s senior team head coaching position will be formally deliberated and decided by the Executive Committee (Exco) during their next ordinary meeting.[/p][p][b]“Thank you for your continued support of our national team.”[/b][/p][p]The 58-year-old was appointed to lead [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/south-sudan/bBswuetq/"]South Sudan[/a] on October 29, 2023, taking over from Stefano Cusin, whose two-year contract had come to an end.[/p][p][b]Dupuis was in charge during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, where South Sudan were placed in Group B alongside [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/senegal/hOIsJLJr/"]Senegal[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/d-r-congo/phn9mm8H/"]DR Congo[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/mauritania/Q5QPxhPn/"]Mauritania[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/togo/noW84S74/"]Togo[/a] and Sudan.[/b][/p][p]South Sudan came sixth in the pile after garnering five points and managing zero wins. The Bright Stars lost 4-0 in their group opener against Senegal, before drawing 0-0 against Mauritania.[/p][p]South Sudan drew 1-1 against Togo in matchday three, lost 3-0 against Sudan, 1-0 against DR Congo, 1-1 against Sudan, 1-4 against DR Congo, 0-0 against Mauritania, 5-0 against Senegal, and 0-0 against Togo to miss out on the World Cup ticket.[/p][p][b]Apart from South Sudan, Dupuis handled [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/madagascar/88OzY9OB/"]Madagascar[/a] in 2017, helping them to qualify for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations after beating [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/equatorial-guinea/vN7WWxY0/"]Equatorial Guinea[/a] 1-0 in Antananarivo, marking the nation’s first-ever AFCON appearance.[/b][/p][p]The team went on to reach the quarter-finals.[/p][image alt="Dennis Mabuka" id="009ee08a-c012-41bf-bdae-acba9770ea19" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="11fcc24c-521a-4eb6-92f7-541bbb04b97b" original-width="1200" original-height="381" /]