- Kariobangi Sharks have sold their top player Paul Jawa to French fourth-tier club FC Fleury 91.
- The 20-year-old's relocation to France is the greatest accomplishment of his career to date, following a challenging childhood
- Jawa has represented South Sudan in both the Under-23 and senior national teams, earning more than five international caps.
South Sudanese international Paul Jawa has left the FKF Premier League club Kariobangi Sharks to join French club FC Fleury 91.
The 20-year-old will now play in the fourth tier of French football after a short stint in Kenya's top professional league.
Paul Jamawa has joined FC Fleury 91.
FC Fleury 91 announced that they have acquired the services of Paul Jawa from the Sharks, sharing photos of him in the team's jersey on their social media channels on Tuesday.
Jawa began his football career with the South Sudan Youths Sports Association before moving to Rainbow FC of Kenya in 2021, which is a second-division club.
He played for the club until 2024 and then joined top-tier club Kariobangi Sharks. He donned the Sharks jersey for 10 matches.
He has represented South Sudan in the Under-20 and Under-23 categories. He played every match of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. Unfortunately, they lost five and won only one of their matches, according to Transfermarkt.
He scored two goals for his country in the 2023 Under-23 AFCON in Egypt, where they advanced to the quarterfinals.
Jawa joins Stanley Wilson, another Sharks player who moved to AIK in Sweden in 2024.
Jawa's journey in football
Jawa had a challenging experience in his brief football career. He was driven out of South Sudan's capital, Juba, due to the political unrest that occurred in the mid-2010s.
He revived his football dream in the Korogocho and Kariobangi slums.
I recall my journey from Juba to Kenya via Uganda was a difficult one. I was only thirteen years old when I left my home country due to the constant fighting in Juba at the time. A number of our family members were killed, while others were forced to leave their homes.
The situation in South Sudan has led to significant responsibilities for the people of Juba.
"I firmly believe that I am the one who will lift my family out of poverty through my football talent. I also hope to be able to cover the school fees for my siblings. On a monthly basis, I manage to provide something, but I'm confident that better opportunities are on the horizon," he said.
Jawa has the opportunity to gain experience at FC Fleury 91 and potentially play in the top division.
South Sudanese athletes abroad
Several players of South Sudanese origin have played for prominent European clubs. Many of them are currently based in Australia.
Thousands of South Sudanese families migrated to Australia to flee the conflict in their homeland. They were granted opportunities to participate in sports such as basketball, football, and athletics.
Gout, the rising sprinter based in Australia, has been likened to world record holder Usain Bolt and already holds several national records.
Several footballers have represented the Australian national team. The likes of Awer Mabil and Thomas Deng made their debut for the Socceroos in 2018, according to ESPN.
Timothy Ouma relocates to the Czech Republic.
It was previously reported that Timothy Ouma made a significant transfer to the Czech giants Slavia Prague from Elfsborg.
Ouma signed with Slavia Prague for a reportedly large sum of money, estimated in the hundreds of millions.