The head coach of Brufut Zonal Team has expressed delight at the team’s improvement after a goalless draw against the City Boys on Wednesday at the Father Gough Sports Complex in their second game of the super Nawettan competition.

Brufut lost its opening game to Gunjur and according to Coach Alieu Sanneh, the players were much more focused in the game against Banjul and hope it will continue.

He was quite optimistic that his side will make it out of the group stage to the knockout stage.

The head coach of Banjul Zonal Team, Alieu Jagne was satisfied with the result despite the draw and was hopeful for a win in their next game.

by Hadang Daffeh

After 3-1 defeat to Serrekunda East in their opening game of the super nawettan competition, Sukuta on Wednesday celebrated their first win of this year’s competition with a 2-1 win over Bakau, in a game played at the Serrekunda East mini-stadium.

Ousman Senghore gave Bakau an early lead in the 12th minute, before Alagie Bojang and Abdoulie Cham found the net for the Sukutarians.

In a post-match interview with Observer Sports, the assistant coach of Sukuta zonal team, Harouna Bojang was full of praises for his players and fans for the spectacular display.

The players, according to him, were well prepared for the game as losing it would have dampened fans’ spirits.

by Fatou Trawally

The 2016 FF-Cup winners Brikama United is gearing up for a week of international friendlies with Tengaige FC and Jaaraf FC of Senegal, in a bid to help raise funds as they prepare to participate in the CAF club competition.

The international friendlies are slated for the 16th, 19th and 21st of this month at the Box-bar mini-stadium.

The Sateba side will play twice against Tengaige FC on 16th and 19th before taking on Jaaraf on the 21st October.

Sulayman Kuyateh, coach of Brikama United said the three games are all important to the team, while urging fans and the people of Brikama to come out and support the team.

The proceeds from the games, he told Observer Sports, will go a long way toward enhancing  the successful participation of the team in CAF competition.

by Muhammed Lamin Drammeh

The head coach of Serrekunda East Zonal Team blamed his side’s draw on players’ inexperience in playing on artificial turf.

The Serrekunda East side drew 1-1 with Gunjur on Wednesday at the Box-bar mini-stadium in the ongoing 2016 zonal.

“We have not played well today because it has been long time since these players played on an artificial turf,” claimed East gaffer Lamin Dugal Jammeh.

Even though he was expecting a win prior to the game, Jammeh was however satisfied with the draw.

With Serrekunda East are set to take on Bakau today (Friday) at the East Park, and he said his side was going to prepare well for the encounter.

Bubacarr Kakai Bojang, head coach of Gunjur admitted SK East have always been a problem for his side, saying Gunjur have never defeated SK East.

Both SK East and Gunjur are with 4 points each in Group B.

by Muhammed Lamin Drammeh

Gambian swimmer Jegan Y Jobe has helped his CNDG swimming club finish second position at the recently ended Dakar inter-club swimming championship.

The 26-year-old was loaned to the Senegalese swimming club from Birima-Sirra in Barra and has since then featured in CNDG’s local competitions.

Organized by the Senegalese Swimming Federation, Club CNDG and BCEAO swept the podium with record-breaking points of 3992 and 2606 respectively with club Union Sportive de Ouakam [USO] on 3rd with 1844 points. Jegan Y Jobe who is a national swimmer of The Gambia, finished 3rd in the 200m breastroke with a timing of 1:27.25. He was part of the Gambian team that recently competed and completes the Dakar-Goree open water swimming championship with an improved position of 156.

Speaking to the Senegalese media shortly after the competition, Jegan began by expressing gratitude to his Gambian coaches for helping him travel to Senegal to join one of the biggest swimming clubs in the capital Dakar. “I am very much delighted to finish third position for my club, and am proud as a Gambian,” he said.

He added, “I am so happy to be here, the people here are jovial, they opened all doors for me to excel, and I want to thank them for their kindness.”

Reacting to the news back in the Gambia, his coach Raoul Sambou applauds Jegan’s efforts for helping his club finish second in the competition.

According to Raoul, Jegan has all it takes to excel in the sport. “It’s unfortunate that we don’t have standard swimming pools in the Gambia, but am hopeful that one day our Authorities will see the need to build the infrastructure we need for our swimmers to reach at the higher highs.”

Story source: Journalist Omar Jarju

Serrekunda Central on Saturday held Lamin to a goalless stalemate in a well attended game at the Serrekunda East Mini-Stadium in Group A of the Super Nawettan competition.

It was a hard-fought game as both sides needed a win, but neither could break the deadlock inspite the numerous goal-scoring chances.

In a post-match interview with Observer Sports, Abdoul Wahab Gaye, the head coach of Serrekunda Central said he will work on his attacking department to secure their first win in their next game against Manjai. However, he commended his players for the respectable performance.

For the head coach of Lamin, Sang Mendy, he was disappointed at the result but expressed hope that his side would make it to the quarterfinal stage.

As to whether he underated his opponents going into the game, Mendy replied in the negative.

Meanwhile, in the other game played on Saturday, Manjai defeated BEM 2-1 at the KG5 Mini-Stadium in Banjul.

At the time of going to press yesterday (Sunday), Serrekunda was taking on Brufut at the East Mini-Stadium, Gunjur vs Bakau at West Mini-Stadium, and Banjul hosting Sukuta at the KG5 Mini-Stadium in Banjul.

Today’s (Monday) fixtures will see Brikama take on BEM at West with Serrekunda Central taking on Manjai at the Father Gough Sports Complex, and Lamin vs Serrekunda West at East.

by Binta Bah

& Binta Jammeh

Ousman Manneh, better known back home in The Gambia as Mamanding, has scored his maiden goal for Bundesliga side Werder Bremen in their 2-1 home win over Bayer Leverkusen.

The former Rush Soccer Academy graduate is the second Gambian to play in the German top tier after former international Dawda Bah.

“I’m very happy that I was able to score the winner,” Manneh told his club website.

Manneh signed a three-and-a-half-year deal with Bremen last year and the contract will keep him at the club until 2018.

Manneh played for Rush Soccer Academy between 2004 and 2013 before signing for the German Bundesliga side.

by Alieu Ceesay

Hooliganism and chaos in our football again, as referee Mustapha Ndow was left unconscious after receiving a blow from a furious Serrekunda West fan Lamin Ceesay who invaded the pitch after his side went 2-1 down to Brikama just five minutes to the final whistle in the ongoing 2016 Super Nawettan.

The incident occurred on Saturday at the West Mini-Stadium where the home side faced Brikama in what was a well-contested encounter.

The incident started when Brikama’s Alieu Jammeh scored his second goal for the Sateba side. It was controversial as the disgruntled SK West technical bench protested against the linesman to what they claimed was an offside. In the protest, the referee Mustapha Ndow sent off one of their officials, but he was unwilling to go out. And as the concentration was on that drama, the attacker said to be a Dippa Kunda resident invaded the pitch without the knowledge of the security at the gate, attacked the referee and knocked him down to the disapproval of the West players on the pitch.”

The assailant was later hand-cuffed by the police officers as Red Cross personnel attended to the referee who was later rushed to the hospital.

Meanwhile, members of the Super Nawettan Disciplinary Committee were to meet over the matter yesterday (Sunday) evening at the Serrekunda East Mini-Stadium.

by Muhammed Lamin Drammeh

The Secretary General of The Gambia Handball Association, Haruna Cham has been elected Administrative Secretary of Zone 2 Handball at the recently held CAHB Congress in Guinea.

In an Observer Sports interview, Cham welcome the development and reaffirmed his commitment to serve the interest of handball development in Africa.

He thanked all those who supported him and called for more support in the execution of his work.

by Alieu Ceesay

The Gunjur zonal team on Sunday defeated the Bakau side 2-0 in a game played at the SK West mini stadium.

Bakau needed to win the game to keep their hopes of staying in the competition  alive but the travelling Gunjur side proved too strong for their opponents.

Two second half goals from Salifu Bojang in the 50th minute and Lamington Jallow in 77th minute, were enough to seal a convincing win for the other side.

In a post-match interview, the head coach of Gunjur, Baboucarr Kakai Bojang, was quite upbeat that his side will go far in the tournament.

The performance displayed by his squad, he said is a warning to the rest of the zonal teams.

For his part, the head coach of Bakau team, Sainey Sanyang  expressed disappointment at the poor performance of his boys.

He apologised to the Bakau fans and promised  to rectify their mistake in their final game against Brufut.

by Hadang Daffeh

The fans of Serekunda East team have criticised the coach and team members following the team’s bad performances in the 2016 zonal.

The highly-rated zone drew three games against Gunjur, Bakau, and Brufut and won against Sukuta.

The dissatisfied fans expressed their anger towards the players and the coach for not giving them the desired results.

Fans blamed the coach Lamin Dugal Jammeh for changing his squad that won the opening game against Sukuta.

In an interview with Observer Sports, Lamin Ceesay, a Serekunda East fan and a keen SESDO football follower said with the kind of performances by the players so far in the tournament he is not sure whether Serekunda East will even make it to the semifinal or the final.

“The problem is that Dugal should not change the winning side. The rotation of players in the team is making them play very bad,” Ceesay opined.

Ya Fatou Gaye, another Serekunda East fan urged the Serekunda East head coach to put back the winning team.

by Arfang MS Camara

Following Saturday’s attack on a match official by a Serrekunda West fan, the Serrekunda West Zonal team has been fined D10, 000 and two of its officials suspended for the rest of the zonal competition by the disciplinary committee of the Super Nawettan.

The Super Nawettan disciplinary sub-committee  went further to ban the Zonal team from playing any home match, while Lamin Ceesay, the fan who attacked the referee Mustapha Ndow has been banned from all Super Nawettan games.

Mustapha Ndow was assaulted by Lamin Ceesay leaving the referee unconscious.

In another development, the Super Nawettan disciplinary sub-committee has suspended the head coach of Banjul zonal team, Alieu Jagne; and coach of Lamin Zonal team, Sang Mendy, for two games after using abusive language against the referee in their respective games against Brufut and Manjai on Wednesday the 12th and Thursday 13th October 2016.

The Barra, Essau and Mayamba team (BEM) has also been fined D3, 000 for throwing an object during their match with Serekunda West on Thursday.

The Sukuta fans have also been warned by the same committee for using abusive language against match officials.

by Alieu Ceesay

The head coaches of Brikama and BEM zonal teams, Pierre Gomez and Dodou Jammeh respectively have both commended their players after booking their places to the knockout stage of the tournament.

In a post-match interview with Observer Sports after their sides’ goalless draw on Monday, both gaffers could not hide their impression to the media.

“We are leading our group and so my target as of now is for the quarter final stage, so sharing points with BEM today is very normal for my team,” said Brikama Coach Pierre Gomez.

“We could have defeated Brikama today but most of my players are resting because this is a fitness tournament and we are avoiding fatigue going into the quarter final,” added BEM coach.

by Binta Bah & Binta Jammeh

The head coach of the Serekunda Central zonal team, Abdul Wahab Gaye

has expressed disappointment after his side’s 2-0 defeat to Manjai in their third game of the tournament played at the Father Gough Sports Complex.

Abdourahman Jobe and Momodou Jammeh’s goals in the first half were enough to earn Manjai the maximum points.

According to the SK Central coach, his side was well prepared for the game against Manjai, adding that they will prepare better for their final group stage game against West.

For his part, Omar Jobe, head coach of Manjai expressed satisfaction at the win and commended his players for the brilliant performance.

by Jainaba D Jatta

Lamin zonal team on Monday celebrated their first win of the 2016 Super Nawettan tournament. They defeated the defending champions Serekunda West 2-1, in a game played at the Serekunda East mini-stadium.

Lamin had a slow start to the tournament registering, one win, one defeat and three draws in the competition with six points in group B.

Speaking with Observer Sports shortly after the game, the assistant coach of Lamin, Baba Dumbuya expressed delight for having their first win against the defending champions Serekunda West.

He however admitted that it was not an easy encounter with the defending champions.

For his part, the head coach of Serekunda West, Kairu Kujabi expressed disappointment at his side’s bad performances in this year’s tournament.

by Fatou Trawally & Fatou Gassama

On Saturday, 15th October 2016 Brikama Team A played Brikama Team B at Brikama Jamisa School Cricket grounds. Brikama Team A won the toss and batted in the first innings and scored 47 runs for 8 wickets in 9 overs. Ansumana Jarju batted and scored 12 runs, the highest for them. Baboucarr Kuyateh bowled 3 overs and took 5 wickets for 9 runs.

Brikama Team B batted in the second innings and could only score 22 runs for 10 wickets in 8 overs. Victor Mendy batted and scored 8 runs, the highest for them while Modou L. Bojang bowled and took 4 wickets for 16 runs in 4 overs bowled. Brikama Team A won by 25 Runs.

Saints also played Teachers Team on Saturday 15th October 2016 at the July 22nd Cricket grounds in Banjul. Teachers Team won the toss and batted in the first innings and scored 22 runs for 10 wickets in 9 overs. Yero S. Sowe batted and scored 7 runs, the highest for them while Alieu Bah bowled and took 1 wicket for 6 runs.

Saints batted in the second innings and scored 23 runs for 2 wickets in 3 overs. Pa Kebba Jeng batted and scored 5 runs, the highest for them while Mustapha Suwareh bowled and took 2 wickets for 5 runs in 2 overs bowled. Saints won by 9 wickets.

On Sunday 16th 2016, Ebbeh-Gi played Gambia Ports Authority at the July 22nd Square Cricket grounds in Banjul. Gambia Ports Authority won the toss and field. Ebbeh-Gi batted in the first innings and scored 29 runs for 10 wickets in 16overs. Lamin Colley batted and scored 6 runs, the highest for them.

Gambia Ports Authority batted in the second innings and scored 30 runs for 10 wickets in 2 overs. Melvin Williams batted and scored 24 runs, the highest for them while Mbye Dumbuya bowled and took 5 wickets for 5 runs in 4 overs bowled. Gambia Ports Authority won by 11 wickets.

Female Team to Participate in Regional Championship

Meanwhile, the Gambia National Female Cricket Team is presently training at the July 22nd Square in Banjul in preparation for their participation in the forthcoming Northwest Africa Cricket Championship (NWACC) for women which is to be held in Accra, Ghana.

Source: Gambia Cricket Association

Banjul and Serrekunda East Zonal teams have secured their places in the quarterfinal stage of the Super Nawettan following a 1-1 draw between the two sides on Tuesday.

Alagie Ceesay’s 49th minute goal gave Banjul the lead, before Ebrima Kinteh levelled for East Bi in the 78th minute.

In a post match interview, Omar Fatty, head coach of Banjul applauded his players for advancing to the next stage.

The performance of his side against East Bi, he said, was better than that of Sukuta. “We have improved on our mistakes.”

The head coach of Serrekunda East, Lamin Jammeh promised a better performance in future games.

by Hadang Daffeh

As part of its strategic development plan to develop capacity for member associations, The Gambia National Olympic Committee (GNOC) in collaboration with  the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF)  and The Gambia Table Tennis Association (GTTA) through funding from Olympic Solidarity (OS) will today (Thursday) begin a 10-day caching course in level one (1) in The Gambia.

Twenty participants drawn from Table Tennis Club coaches and Physical Education (P E) Teachers will take part in the training to be held at the Seaview Garden Hotel in Kololi from the 20th – 30th November, 2016.

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has nominated Mr. Nicolas Petit form France to serve as instructor.

Mr Petit is a renowned ITTF expert who will be in The Gambia for the first time but has conducted many international training courses worldwide.

The opening Ceremony will be held today   (Thursday) November 20th, 2016 at 11.am at the Seaview Garden Hotel. The press is invited to cover the proceeding of the ceremony.

 Source: Namory Trawally, GNOC

Babu Sama’s first half strike was enough to send Sukuta top of Group B with 8 points after defeating an impressive Gunjur side on Tuesday in the final group game at the Box Bar Mini-Stadium.

Gunjur gaffer Bubacarr Kakai Bojang made 10 changes to the team that defeated Bakau.

Sukuta started the game brightly pushing hard as Gunjur grew gradually into the game.

The turning point came when Sama turned home a brilliant shot before the end of the first half.

After the break, Gunjur pushed hard for an equaliser but Sukuta’s held firm.

In a post-match interview, Sukuta coach said the encounter was tense, while commending his players for a respectable performance.

Gunjur Coach Bubacarr Kakai Bojang blamed the defeat to ‘poor match officiating’, saying the goal scored by Sukuta was an offside.

Gunjur finished third place in Group B and will face Brikama in the quarterfinal stage.

Meanwhile, both Bakau and Brufut are out of the competition after finishing bottom of Group B.

by Muhammed Lamin Drammeh

It is all over for Brufut and Bakau Zonal teams after finishing as the bottom two teams in Group B of the 2016 Super Nawettan.

It is the first time that Bakau exit the tournament at the group stages. Sulayman Drammeh’s 20th minute ensured a 1-0 win over Brufut butwas not enough for the team to progress.

In an interview with Observer Sports, the head coach of Bakau, Sainey Sanyang was quite happy for the victory against Brufut despite being eliminated out of the tournament.

“This is the first time in the history of Bakau football to exit at this point in the Super Nawettan but nonetheless I am impressed with their performance and am sure if this was done since in the beginning definitely we would not have been struggling here today. But is not bad we will go back prepared for the next season,” said Sanyang.

For his part, the head coach of Brufut, Alieu Sanneh said it was the worst performance by his team.

“My players’ performance today [against Bakau] was not impressive we will surely go back to the drawing board and work on our mistakes especially on goal scoring side to prepare ourselves for the next competition,” said Sanneh while thanking fans for the support.

by Binta Jammeh & Binta Bah