The Gambia National U-20 Team, the Young Scorpions, Monday arrived in Rabat for the return leg of the African Youth Championship qualifier against  hosts Morocco.

The team comprises 20 players, six technical staff members, as well as three other officials. The delegation is headed by Abdoulie Star Jallow, the first Vice President of The Gambia Football Federation, while Pa Suwareh Fye, President of The Gambia Football Coaches Association is the Team Manager.

Omar Sise’s charges will go into Sunday’s game as favourites following their 1-0 win from the first leg in Banjul, more than two weeks ago, courtesy of striker Pa Omar Jobe’s first half header.

The Young Scorpions had concluded their local preparations on Saturday with a comprehensive 4-0 defeat of Steve Biko in a friendly at the Independence Stadium.

The team, who also knocked out Sierra Leone 4-0 on aggregate in the preliminaries.

Bun Sanneh gave the Young Scorpions an early lead when he stabbed home into an empty net following some horrendous defending by Biko. Moments later, Pa Omar Jobe hit a delightful volley into the roof of the net for a 2-0 lead.

Just before the break, it was the turn of Captain Ablie Jalllow to score for a 3-0 halftime lead. The diminutive forward dinked his way past several challenges before he toe-poked home a delightful onetime finish, making scoring look so simple. Right back Hamidou Bojang added a fourth after the break to complete the comprehensive win.

Leading 1-0 from the first leg, The Gambia only needs to avoid defeat to be assured of a place in the next stage of the qualifiers, where they would meet either Ivory Coast or Guinea Conakry. If the Young Scorpions score an away goal in Rabat, the hosts would therefore need a win with two clear goals to advance to the next round. Kickoff is at 8:45pm Gambian time.

The team had its first training session in Rabat yesterday and speaking to Observer Sports shortly before taking to the field, Omar Sise the U-20 Coach renewed his call for the prayers of everyone, while reaffirming his commitment to bringing smiles to the faces of the Gambian people.

The 2017 African Youth Championship would be played in Zambia, who have automatically qualified as hosts, and is seeking its third appearance in the eight-team biannual football competition after earlier appearances in 2007 and 2011.

by Baboucarr Camara

in Rabat, Morocco

Spanish La Liga side Espanyol and German Bundesliga (premier league) outfit Hertha Berlin are the latest clubs interested in the signature of Gambia Captain Omar Colley.

Due to his strong displays since moving to Djurgarden in the Swedish

Allsvenskan (premier league) January 2015, the former Wallidan and Real de Banjul ace, 23, has been heavily linked with a move away from the Tele2 Arena with several foreign clubs in England, Spain, Germany,

France and Russia making him a transfer target this summer.

Monaco in France was also linked with the former Kupio player during the January transfer window but a move never materialised and speaking in a recent interview with Swedish publication, FotbollDirekt, Djurgarden’s Sporting Director Bosse Andersson confirmed that several clubs have contacted them over the availability of the Gambian defender.

“Yes, we have had contact with clubs about Omar earlier; we have. But there is nothing that is relevant now,” he told FotbollDirekt when asked about reports linking the defender with a move abroad.

According to German publication, HITC, even though clubs in the English Premier League as well as the French Ligue 1 and the Russian Premier League are interested in the signature of the Gambian defender, the interest of Hertha Berlin, a club that finished seventh in the Bundesliga last season, is the strongest and would want to tie up the 23-year-old in the summer window.

But Andersson said he does not know anything about the reported interest from Hertha Berlin. “I read it, I have no comments. That’s news to me. Since we know that he made an impression as one of the best central defenders in the Allsvenskan, it is clear that he is wanted by big clubs abroad,” he added.

Colley joined Djurgarden from Finnish side Kupio and has been their best defender since. Now in his second season at the Tele2 Arena, he has started each of the twelve games in the Allsvenskan this year, scoring two goals.

He signed a three-year contract with Djurgarden on arrival, which is expected to keep him at the Tele2 Arena until December 2017 and any club interested to price him away from the eleven-time Swedish champions would have to pay heavily.

“[Colly] is absolutely our player. We have had discussions [with him]; we know what Omar wants and he knows our attitude too. We know where we are. He is on international duty and is back with us on 20 June,” Andersson added.

“We know why Omar came to us, and at his age he is an international [for his country]. It is clear that he has ambitions to take a step [forward] maybe in the summer or later, we shall see.”

Djurgarden has in the last two years sold two central defenders abroad in Daniel Amartey and Emil Bergstrom with Colley replacing the former who now plays for English Champions Leicester City. A third sale may occur this summer with Colley and Andersson said the Gambian has the qualities to play at the highest level.

“We value Omar highly. He is a player who is difficult to replace, but in this job you have to be prepared for it,” he added.

by Baboucarr Camara in Rabat, Morocco

Gambia U-20 Coach Omar Sise said they are well prepared for the second and deciding leg of the African Youth Championship qualifier away to Morocco on Sunday.

The Young Scorpions defeated the Lions of the Atlas 1-0 in the first leg in Banjul on May 21 and would be seeking to ensure a place in the third and final round of the qualifiers against the 1997 African U-20 champions.

“We are well prepared and looking forward to the game; we thank God that everything is ok for us in the camp. We pray to Him that it continues,” Ceesay told Observer Sports yesterday.

“We know we have an advantage from the first leg and we thank God forthat. We will make sure that we make the best of our advantage.”

The Young Scorpions signed off in style in Banjul when they scored four goals without reply in a comprehensive defeat of Gambian first division club Steve Biko in a friendly game at the Independence Stadium on Saturday.

Bun Sanneh stabbed home into an empty net for the opener before, Pa Omar Jobe, scorer of the only goal in the 1-0 defeat of Morocco, hit a delightful volley into the roof of the net for a 2-0 lead. Captain Ablie Jalllow added a third before the break with the diminutive forward dinking his way past several challenges before he toe-poked home a delightful onetime finish. Hamidou Bojang added a fourth after the break to complete the win.

The Gambian team on Monday evening held its first training session at the Moroccan Football Federation’s Technical Training Centre in Rabat, a 20-minute drive from the team’s hotel, the Golden Tulip Farah. The match is scheduled for Sunday, June 12, at the Complexe Sportif Moulay al Hassan in Rabat.

Speaking further, Ceesay thanked The Gambia Football Federation and the Ministry of Youth and Sports for what he described as a good job in shipping the team to Morocco on time.

by Baboucarr Camara in Rabat, Morocco

As football enthusiasts continue to swallow the bitter pills of 4-0 loss on home soil to South Africa last Saturday, athletics enthusiasts are still celebrating the success of Gina Bass who secured an Olympic qualification in the 200 meters with timing of 23:14.

Meanwhile, Adama Jammeh competed in the 100m and finished 10:27 needing little push to secure the Olympic timing of 10:20.

Another Gambian athlete who was competing in Guyana to meet the Olympic timing is Omar Jammeh, an 800m specialist who finished second in his race with a timing of 1:51:00. Omar Jammeh will be working very hard before the African Games to secure the 800m Olympic standard time of 1:46:00.

After competing in Guyana over the weekend, all three athletes returned to their base in France where they continue their preparations with some few competitions in France before the African Games in Durban, South Africa.

Story Source: Baboucarr Sey

34 teams from within and surroundings of the cosmopolitan town of Brikama have registered for the town’s sports committee 2016 Nawettan qualifier.

Only four teams shall gain qualification for the Nawettan proper.

The qualifier is set to start today, Wednesday 8thJune 2016.

Yahya Samateh, the 2nd vice president of the Brikama Sports committee promised a successful qualifiers and calls for discipline and peaceful conduct before, during and after games.

In today’s opening games, Alafama FC will take on Heart of Africa, whilst Sancha Patriots takes on Borehole.

by Muhammed Lamin Drammeh

The sectary general of the FF Cup-winning Brikama United Football Club Board, Saidou Gbla has informed Observer Sports of their plan to play in the CAF Confederation cup competition.

Brikama United defeated Bombada 1-0 in an all Brikama derby to be crowned champions of the FF Cup.

According to him, participating in the Confederation cup competition is one step of maintaining their players and as well attract players to the team.

Brikama United, he further told this reporter, will embark on an aggressive fund raising campaign.

“We know is not an easy task,but we [as a board and committee], will start the mission right away.”

The last time Brikama United represented the country in a CAF competition was in 2012 when the Sateba side clinched the league trophy in 2011 under the then coach Ensa Sambou.

by Muhammed Lamin Drammeh

Nigeria football legend Stephen Keshi has died suddenly at the age of 54.

One of African football’s best-known figures, the ex-Super Eagles captain is one of only two men to win the Africa Cup of Nations as a player and a coach.

NFF president Amaju Pinnick: “This is devastating. We have lost a superhero.”

Keshi, who is reported to have suffered a heart attack by local media. also managed Togo and Mali, while his playing career included a spell with Belgian club side Anderlecht.

Sunday Oliseh, a former team-mate and Keshi’s successor as Nigeria coach, tweeted his shock at the “horrible news” and called Keshi “an iconic hero”.

Other tributes are being paid from around the world.

Keshi skippered the Nigeria team that won the Nations Cup in 1994 before narrowly missing out on a World Cup quarter-final place the same year.

He coached the Super Eagles on three occasions, leading them to the 2013 Nations Cup title in South Africa and the last 16 at the 2014 World Cup.

His contract was not renewed after the Brazil tournament but he returned on a match-by-match deal following the team’s failure to reach the 2015 Nations Cup finals.

He was then sacked as caretaker coach but reinstated after intervention from then Nigeria president Goodluck Jonathan.

Keshi, who lost his wife to cancer late last year, was then sacked for a final time last July.

The Gambia has qualified one judoka, Fye Njie for the men’s lightweight category (73 kg) at the summer Rio Olympic Games, signifying the nation’s Olympic debut in the sport.

Finland-based Faye Njie earned a continental quota spot from the African region as the only Gambian judoka in the IJF World Ranking List of May 30, 2016.[

Fye Njie, who clinched Silver Medal at the 2015 African Games in Brazzaville after coming behind Egyptian duo of Mohamed Abdelmawgoud and Mohamed Mohyeldin, secured his qualification to Rio 2016 during the African Judo Championship held in April in Tunisia.

The Gambia is set to compete at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016.

Story source: Namory Trawally

Banjul-based Muhammedan Lower Basic School won the defending Champions Albion Lower Basic School last Thursday in the 2016 Primary Schools Boys Knockout Tournament Finals which was held at the July 22nd Square in Banjul. The final started with the two the Captains taking the toss. Muhammedan won the toss and decided to Field. Albion batted and scored 33 runs and were all out in 7 overs. Alieu Jawara batted and scored 4 runs the highest for them. Bailo Baldeh bowled and took 4 wickets for 10 runs in 3 overs bowled.

In the second innings, Muhammedan Lower Basic School batted and scored 34 runs in 9 overs for the loss of 9 wickets, Abdoulie Jallow batted and scored 7 runs the highest for them. Abdoulie Camara bowled and took 3 wickets for 12 runs in 3 overs bowled. Muhammedan Lower Basic School won the title by 2 wickets.

At the presentation ceremony, Johnny Gomez, the President of Association thanked the Schools Head and Physical Education Teachers for allowing and preparing the students to participating in this tournament, as every school that participated was a winner. The Winner and Runners-Up went with a Trophy and Certificate, whiles the Participating schools went with a Certificate each. Campama Lower Basic School also collected the Trophy for the League title and the Runners-Up Trophy for the League was presented to Albion Lower Basic School. The occasion was grace by School Children and Board Members of the Association were also present.

In another similar development, St. Augustine’s Upper Basic School has win the 2016 Senior/Junior Secondary School Boys League and Knock-out Tournament.

by Alieu Ceesay

“Fans are happy when the results are good, but worst when the results are bad,” the president of the Gambia Football Federation, Lamin Kaba Bajo reacted to the behavior of disgruntled fans and spectators, following the Scorpions humiliating 4-0 defeat on home soil to South Africa last Saturday.

The Gambia lost three of their five matches in the tournament with two points, whiles South Africa lost only a single game with 6 points in group M

Thansanqa Gabuzi gave his side the lead in the 31st minute before extending it on the 39th minute of the first half, while Captain Keagan Dolly doubled makes it a humiliated defeat to the scorpions in the 55th and 78th minutes in the second half.

The Gambia senior team has never been beaten 4-0 at home since the opening of the stadium in 1984, Veteran sports journalists Pape Saine told Observer Sports

Speaking to Observer Sports after the game, Bajo said the Scorpions’ fans have never been consistent in supporting any national team coach in the country.  “Fans are always happy when the results are good, but are worst when results are bad.”

Even though he was equally dissapointed by the result, Bajo commended the players for the hard work.

He told Observer Sports that his executive will continue given all the necessary support to achieve the target of the senior scorpions in the so-called rebuilding and rebranding process.

by Arfang MS Camara

Gambia U-20 Coach Omar Sise said his team is committed to the course as the Young Scorpions seek a place in the third and final round of the African Youth Championship qualifiers away to Morocco on Sunday.

The Gambians, twice finalists in this competition, won the first leg 1-0 in Banjul and in preparation for the game, the team was shipped to Morocco for a week’s camp and after four days in the North African country, Sise said they are determined to complete the job.

“We have done a pretty good job since we came here and we pray to God to keep us healthy and mentally strong for the game on Sunday,” Sise told Observer Sports, who accompanied the team in Rabat.

“I won’t talk about tactics in details but we are committed to this job and at this stage we are telling Gambians that Inshallah we will do all our best with the help of God to make it happen for the country. Any difficulty ahead of us we put it in the hands of God but I don’t think we will go through anything more difficult than we encountered in St. Luois, Senegal. We will pray to God to guide and protect us from all evil because even after all the hard work done you still need God’s help and guidance to achieve anything. We just pray to cross the line.”

The team is on an unbeaten run stretching back to the WAFU Football Cup in Senegal last year and after three games in the qualifiers already it has won all, scoring five goals in the process and yet to concede any. When asked what is so special about the team, Sise said it is because God is with them –  “who has given them the goals and brought stability in their defence”.

“We pray to God to give us the chance to score more goals and not to concede. We also work very hard for it both physically and mentally when we prepare the players. The secret is the great assistance of God and we pray that He continue to be with us,” he added.

He rued over the fact that last game should’ve been three goals. However, he pointed out that  a single goal is equally important so long as it  gives you three points and qualification. “I won’t be happy if we get similar chances and fail to score but as a coach my philosophy and that of the fans is different. Gambians have a sickness in not scoring goals and I can’t change that in less than a year. It doesn’t come overnight but this team scored in almost every game it played.”

The former Feni Soccer and Sheikh Jamal Dhamondi coach also urged Gambians to be patient and pray for the team in “this respectable month of Ramadan to take us through to both the African Cup in Zambia and the World Cup in Korea.”

He also thanked The Gambia Football Federation and the Ministry of Youth and Sports for making sure that the team travelled to Morocco on time. He as well extolled the support of the Gambian public.

Pa Omar Babou, the team spokesperson, who plays as a left winger echoed similar sentiments. He assured that the team is well prepared to take on any opponent.

by Baboucarr Camara

in Rabat, Morocco

The President of the Gambia Football Federation Lamin Kabba Bajo has sent a letter of condolence to the President of Nigeria Football Federation Mr. Amaju Pinnick on the sudden demise of Mr. Stephen Keshi.

The letter reads: “It is with deep sorrow and sadness that I write on behalf of the Gambia Football Federation, the entire football family of the Gambia and on my own behalf to convey our heartfelt condolences and sympathy on the sudden demise of Mr. Stephen Keshi, former player and coach of your national team, the Super Eagles.

The untimely death of Mr. Keshi which was received with shock is not only a loss to the NFF and Nigeria, but to the whole of Africa as he has proven to all that as Africans we can do it too, by not only leading the Super Eagles to the Finals of the AFCON but winning it as a player and Coach respectively. His football skills as a player and leadership qualities as a coach earned him the love, admiration and respect of all”.

Kabba prayed that the Almighty Allah “grant Keshi’s gentle soul eternal peace”.

The GFF President sought from his counterpart to “transmit our deepest condolences and sympathy to his family, relatives and loved ones on our behalf”.

Kabba finally assured Mr Pinnick “of our  solidarity in this difficult moment and, our continuous prayers for the departed giant and icon of Nigerian and African football who will always remain in our hearts”

Source: Gff.gm

Former African U-17 champion and ex-vice captain of that Gambian team, Abdoulie Bakary Njie, has lifted the lid on the mystery surrounding Momodou Ceesay’s crucial penalty miss at the World Championship in Peru 2005.

With Gambia trailing Netherlands 2-0 in the third and final group stage match in its first ever world cup appearance at any level and starring elimination in the face, but needed only a goal to advance, the Baby Scorpions were awarded a penalty with just 10 minutes remaining.

Momodou Ceesay had been instrumental in winning the penalty when his pass put Sanna Nyassi clean through on goal. Nyassi’s shot was pushed out by the keeper Tim Krul, and as Alagie Ngum latched on to the rebound, he was brought down by Dutch substitute Erik Pieters.

The Gambia’s choice for the resulting penalty Ceesay, instead of regular taker Ousman Jallow, who had scored from the spot in both previous games, at the time shocked many people. Ceesay struck his shot wide of the keeper’s right-hand post, and the Baby Scorpions crashed out.

Ceesay, who had been Gambia’s most impressive player in the tournament, turned from hero to villain as his miss condemned the West Africans to an early elimination. Coupled with Brazil’s 6-0 thrashing of Qatar, Gambia’s defeat left them and Brazilians and the Dutch leveled on six points, but missed out on goal difference.

The circumstances surrounding Ceesay’s decision to take the kick weren’t clear and at the time, the English-speaking commentator for the game alleged that his performances at the tournament might have gone into his head while the British broadcaster, the BBC, said in its match report that the former Wallidan striker took the kick apparently against the orders of Coach Fred Osam Duodu.

This incident happened nearly twelve years ago and for the first time, an independent witness to the entire episode has had his take on it. Njie, who played all five games as The Gambia won the African championship in Banjul, explained that Jallow had mixed feeling which prompted Ceesay to step up.

“At the time, we had five penalty takers in Ousman Jallow, Momodou Ceesay, Alagie Amadou Ngum, Mandu Bojang and Abdoulie Mansally in that order. Ous was uncomfortable and wasn’t feeling right so it was obvious that since Zic was the second choice, he had to step in,” he told Observer Sports.

“Nobody thought he was going to miss that because he had been scoring penalties in the past but Zico did his best and unfortunately it didn’t go in and we were disappointed to have been knocked out.”

After the early exit in that tournament The Gambia hit with storm with 3-1 wins over the defending champions and favourites Brazil as well as Qatar, there was a commission of enquiry set up back home culminating in the unceremonious exit of Coach Osam Duodu.

There were even claims of a conspiracy against the Ghanaian by some powerbrokers in the domestic game and though Njie and Jallow as the two captains of the team testified before the commission, the former said the situation could’ve been handled better.

“Ous and I, as the two captains, testified but aside what had happened on the pitch, we couldn’t tell the commission anything because we didn’t know anything more than that. Everything was fine at the camp and we were not aware of any abnormalities,” Njie further told Observer Sports.

Njie added that Osam should’ve stayed at the time to ensure that he continued what he had started by graduating with the same group of players to the senior team level.

Abdoulie Bakary Njie, who holds the distinction as the only Gambian to have played with three generations of U-17 teams, was speaking in an exclusive interview with the Daily Observer in Rabat, Morocco, where he accompanied the U-20 team as its goalkeeper trainer.

He talked about a wide range of issues including the art of goalkeeping. Read our subsequent editions for the full interview.

by Baboucarr Camara

 in Rabat, Morocco

The Gambia U-20 team, known as Young Scorpions, will take to the field few hours from now for a crucial match against their Moroccan counterparts in the African Youth Championship qualifiers in Rabat.

Omar Sise’s charges won the first leg 1-0 in Banjul exactly three weeks ago and they only need to avoid defeat today at the FUS de Rabat Stadium to advance to the third and final round of the qualifiers.

The game kicks off at 21:45 Gambian time and the team, camped in Rabat for a whole week, is in high spirits and ready to complete the job today. The players held a pre-match free up exercise at the game venue last night to get a feel of the grass pitch.

The Gambia is twice finalists in this competition at the continental stage and also earned a single appearance at the World Cup in Canada in 2007.

BY BABOUCARR CAMARA IN RABAT, MOROCCO

As nawettan centres prepare for the 2016 nawettan fiesta, the Lamin Youth and Sports Committee has announced that registration is being open for teams for the qualifiers this month.

Meanwhile, in another development a statement from the sports comittee “is hereby informing all teams that has already book their ticket to the Nawettan proper that the Sports Committee will hold its Annual General Meeting at Babilon School in Lamin on Sunday 19th June 2016. All the teams are advice to send two representatives to the AGM.”

Over the weekend, The Gambia through The Gambia Athletic Association (GAA) hosted a two-day Ecowas Junior Athletics championship held at the Independence Stadium in Bakau.

The two-day championship began with a march past by the participating countries.

The first day witnessed a spectacular display by athletes representing 8 countries from the sub-region.

On the sprint, it was the powerhouse Nigerian girls that won the Gold and Silver medals in the 100m race. The hosts Gambia won Gold medal in the relay in an exceptional style. Sierra Leone claimed Gold Medal in the 1500m women’s category event. There was also a Gold Medal for Gambia’s Demba Marong in the 1500m men’s category after a tight competition.

In the 100m race for the male category, Nigeria won the Gold medal, Sierra Leone received Silver medal and hosts Gambia grabbed Bronze medal.

The winners at the championship that meet the required qualification will represent their different countries at the World Junior Athletics Championship to be held in Poland.

The opening ceremony was well attended by athletics enthusiasts and senior officials including the Speaker of the National Assembly of The Gambia, Hon. Abdoulie Bojang.

“It is with great satisfaction to note that this is the second time that The Gambia is organizing the Regional Junior Athletics Championship. The first edition was held in The Gambia in 1999, when Mr. Shori Nyoliba of Ivory Coast was elected the first West Africa president. We are therefore grateful to the Government of The Gambia, under the leadership of His Excellency Sheikh Professor Dr. Alhaji Yahya AJJ Jammeh, Babili Mansa, who provided the enabling environment, and the required support to make sure that sports in general, and Athletics in particular flourishes in The Gambia,” said GAA boss Dodou Capi Joof during the opening ceremony on Saturday, citing the refurbishment of the Independence Stadium Athletic Track as a clear example.

Joof did not also hesitate to thank the former IAAF president Lamin Diack who supported them with US$160, 000 in the refurbishment.

While thanking Gambia National Olympic Committee (GNOC) for the support to the development of the athletes, Joof applauded IAAF and Ecowas for sponsoring the regional competition.

“We should always remember that what is important in sports, is not winning, but bringing people closer together, and to compete as brothers and sisters. In solidarity, we therefore stand to unite humanity, through Athletics,” he concluded.

At the time of going to press, competition was going on in the day two of the championship.

by Alieu Ceesay

Yusupha Njie, son of legendary Gambian footballer, Biri Biri, has described as a great feeling the accomplishment of helping his Fus de Rabat side to its first ever Moroccan Boto Pro League title last week.

The attacking midfielder was in action as Fus defeated relegated Mouloudia Oulja 4-2 to win their first title in the 70-year existence of the Club. It is his second title with them after winning the domestic Coupe de Trone in his first season in 2014.

“It was a great feeling to win it and I’m very much thankful right now. I was invited to represent my country and it was my dream to come and play but the time was very tight because we were fighting for the championship which my club had never won so it was history for me,” Njie told Observer Sport in Rabat on Saturday.

“We played the same day with The Gambia but I had mixed feelings because of the result of the National Team. I’m always ready to represent my country. This is why I came here to spend the night with the players to give them confidence because this is our country and we have to make our people proud.”

Yusupha and Fus have another chance of silverware this season with the team still in contention in the domestic cup. The former Real de Banjul player scored the winner on Saturday as they secured a 2-1 away win at Racing de Casablanca in the first leg of the knockout stages. The return leg would be in Rabat on Wednesday June 22.

Fus is also into the eight-team group stages of the CAF Confederations Cup where they will make their debut away to fellow Moroccan club Kawkab Marrakech on Friday. Other teams in Group B include Libya’s Al Ahli Tripoli and Etoile du Sahel of Tunisia.

Speaking further, Njie, who disclosed that there are a host of clubs in Europe interested in his services remained optimistic that the future is bright for him. “I’ve been scouted and my team has so many contacts in Europe so hopefully I’ll be in Europe Inshallah probably this year,” he said, but wouldn’t disclose the identities of the clubs for now.

Life in Morocco

Speaking on life in Morocco, Njie said it is always difficult to leave home and go abroad to somewhere you don’t have your family around. He added that his first year was difficult but said he has adapted to so many things, noting that Morocco is now like home to him.

“So many people love me here. I love here and am not lonely here because I’ve a lot of Gambian friends here,” he added.

Same career path to Biri

Before signing for Fus, who scouted him in the CAF Champions League against Real de Banjul, Njie had spells training with Lyn Oslo in Norway and Seville in Spain. But as his father, he returned home from his first opportunity to Europe to make a fresh start before making his breakthrough.

“My father’s history went that way; he first went to Europe but couldn’t make it and later he became one of the greatest players for Seville. I even went to Spain and Norway and had the chance to sign in Norway but was so young and God brought me here and maybe it’s His wish that this is my starting place but all my wishes and dreams are to play in a bigger league,” Njie further told Observer Sport.

Speaking on his trials with his father’s ex-club Seville, Njie said everything went great for him in Andalusia but because he was just 17 at the time, he had to return home until he turns 18 before he would be eligible to sign any professional contract as per Spanish FA rule.

I’m better than Tijan Jaiteh

Yusupha is a half-brother of ex-Gambian international Tijan Jaiteh and he said both him and his father always advise him to run and work hard as a footballer. He added that Biri would always tell him that if he has energy, then he can do anything on the pitch.

“He [Tijan Jaiteh] is not like me because I’m a better footballer [laughs]. I don’t really love training but now am training and working hard and I’ll rewrite history [just as my father],” the boy vowed.

by Baboucarr Camara

in Rabat, Morocco

As the two-day Ecowas Junior Athletics Championship came to an end in Banjul on Sunday, Nigerian dominated the championship, winning nine medals and followed by hosts Gambia.

This is the second time the Gambia is hosting the Ecowas junior championship after hosting the championship in 1999. This championship brought together 8 countries from the Sub-regional.

In an Observer Sports interview, the head coach of the Nigerian Athletics team, Akimpelu Saheed was a quite happy man for the triumph. Nigeria, he said was well prepared for the championship.

Inspite of winning nine medals, Saheed was believed that the Nigerian team could have won more medals.

Idamaduou Praise Oghenefejiro is a Nigerian female athlete for 400m and 200m races.  She was also happy that her time was going home with smiles.

Sulayman Manneh, a Gambian athlete who ran for 100m and 200m said the team did great, but attributed the Ramadan to the drop in their performance.

“The reason for not showing a good performance is because of [we are fasting] and most of the other countries and athletes are not fasting,” he said.

Nyima Camara is a Gambian athlete who ran for 500m and she was participating in her maiden international championship. She told this paper that the championship helped her to gained exposure.

by Arfang MS Camara

Gambia U-20 Coach Omar Sise has expressed his dissatisfaction with the performance of the Libyan referees in his side’s penalty shootout defeat of Morocco.

The officials allowed an off sight goal to stood against the Young Scorpions which leveled the tie 1-1 on aggregate and forced the game into a post-match penalty shootout.

“It was a difficult game, we had our game plan which worked for us until the last 20 minutes when the referee had to give an unnecessary goal which was both an off sight and handball but we knew that one way or the other God would be with us Inshallah because He has always been with us,” Sise told Observer Sport in a post-match interview.

“I respect them because Morocco is a big footballing nation. This is always a sickness for North African countries when you always come here I don’t know whether they buy referees or what. It has to stop because it’s not good. This is football, its one language and fair play. When they came to The Gambia, the referee played very well but here they played as if they were with them.”

Commenting on the referee’s decision to order Pa Omar Babou to retake his spot kick, Sise said it was all an attempt to frustrate them, noting that there was nothing wrong with his initial kick. “Pa Omar believed in himself and he retook it and scored and Alhamdullilah we won.”

Guinea game

The Gambia will now play Guinea Conakry in a double header next month for a place in the Zambia finals and commenting on that game, Sise said the hard work starts right from the moment Mbye Faye scored the winning penalty.

He also thanked the large contingent of the Gambian community, headed by Ambassador Kebba S. Touray, who came to the Stadium to support the boys. “I thank the fans for their commitment because it isn’t easy to leave everything behind and come here so we know that we have a community here and we really appreciate it,” he added.

“For the people, who were saying that when we come to Morocco we were going to lose, this was there problem but it was never my problem because I know football you have your strategy and your opponent has his own strategy.”

The Gambian team arrived home in the early hours of this morning (Tuesday) on board the Royal Air Maroc flight. The first leg of the third round will be played in Banjul in the weekend of July 8 to 10 with the return leg in Conakry on the 22nd to 24th July.

by Baboucarr Camara

in Rabat, Morocco

 Morocco Coach Mark Wotte has tipped The Gambia to qualify for the finals of the African Youth Championship in Zambia following their qualification to the third round of the qualifiers on Sunday.

The Gambians lost 1-0 on the night for a 1-1 aggregate draw but triumphed 7-6 on a post-match penalty shootout to book a date with Guinea Conakry in the next round.

Speaking in an Observer Sports interview after the game, Wotte, who admitted that his goal was scored from an off sight position hailed the commitment of the Gambians.

“If this team can beat Morocco, I think they can beat Guinea as well because they played for each other. I think they have every opportunity to qualify,” Wotte told the Observer.

“The good thing about this Gambian side is that they are really a team; they played together, they know each other and they are friends who come from the same city. It’s really a team that knows each other very well. I thought that they played a little bit afraid in the first half but after we scored they came out of their selves to score us but I think they have some excellent players who I think within six to twelve months two or three of them can play in the national team.”

Wotte also hailed the performance of his players for handing The Gambia a first defeat in four qualifying games, noting that they have reacted well to the first leg defeat in Banjul.

“I think we played an excellent game. There was one team that deserved to win and we scored a goal in the second half and we could’ve scored a second goal but we’re very sorry for the boys that we didn’t qualify but I can be proud of my players. They made a good reaction to the game in Banjul and played better but it’s always cruel to lose on penalties and even though nobody wants to lose on penalties there is only one team that can win,” he said.

“We will continue with this generation of players because there are very good players that can play for the first team within one or two years. I think God was a little bit helpful to The Gambian than us.”

by Baboucarr Camara

 in Rabat, Morocco