Sudan national soccer coach Briton Stephen Constantine has been stopped from visiting the war torn Darfur.
The former Malawi has however refused to dump his plans to set a foot in the conflict zone saying as a coach he needs to be seen and expected to visit the region in May.
British Embassy made the advice recently adding that the coach who has just been appointed must keep a low profile
“I've not felt threatened at all,” he said. “The people have been very hospitable and the politics is none of my business. I hope to visit Darfur in May. I have a responsibility as national coach and have to be seen. I feel it's my duty to go there,” he said.
He was appointed Sudan coach on 15 February this year.

Constantine was appointed Malawi national coach on 2 February 2007.
Malawi lost first six international matches under his stewardship where he only managed wins against Swaziland, Namibia and Mozambique. He resigned on14 April 2008 following Malawi's failure to qualify for the 2009 African Nations Championship for local players in Ivory Coast held this year.
He has been on the job just for six weeks. And three weeks ago he dismissed five players from the squad on unexplained wrongs.

The Sun on line of United Kingdom reports that Constantine has imposed a fine of 20 pounds (K5, 000) on any national team player or official who speaks on a phone in a team bus.

And that the penalty doubles on the second offense; triples on the third account and so on.

During preparations for a game against Mali in Khartoum last week end Constantine fined some of the players for reporting 30 minutes late for training.

The two teams in group D drew 1- 1 at a 45, 000 capacity Al-Merreikh Stadium amid hopes that the former Mill wall, India, Nepal and Malawi coach could pull a big shocker against the West Africans just weeks on the job.

Constantine who is slowly changing his identity and prefers to be called by his middle name Phillip as opposed to Stephen has pushed all the players into signing a strong code of conduct.

“They (players) are very laid-back here. If I ask them to turn up at 7pm, they'd stroll in at 7.30,” the Sun quotes him as complaining.

“There's no urgency at all and that's what they were used to before I came. But I think they understand now. I've not come here for a holiday, I want to build a team,” he is quoted as saying.

He continues saying: “Discipline here was shocking. Imagine this is the first time that the final squad has all turned up and all stayed in camp. Before, they used to just come and go as they wished.”

However the codes of conduct also affect him, as he is being fined too.
“It is Constantine's fault. As the new coach of Sudan, it was him who imposed the strict rules, as a result he is also paying the price,” the website writes.