The Young Scorpions of the Gambia will return home today (Wednesday) following their 2-0 defeat of Sierra Leone in the first leg of the preliminary stages of the African Youth Championship at the weekend.

The U-20 team secured the convincing win at the Wassum Stadium in Makeni with second half goals from Bun Sanneh and Abdoulie Jallow. The second leg will be played at Bakau’s Independence Stadium on 23rd April, with the winner facing Morocco in the second round of the qualifiers.

The win is a welcome boost for Gambian football, coming less than a week after the senior Scorpions were held to a goalless stalemate at home by Mauritania in the 2017 African Cup of Nations qualifiers.

“This squad can take on virtually any of their counterpart teams in the world. They are brilliant,” BBC’s Umaru Fofana, who watched the game, wrote on social media, Facebook, after the match.

The Young Scorpions qualified in the championship on two occasions in 2007 and 2011. In its maiden appearance in 2007, a team made up of mainly the 2005 African U-17 Championship winners won Bronze in Congo Brazzaville and qualified to the World Cup in Canada later that year having won all three group stage games. At the World Championship, they were knocked out by Austria in the second round, but despite the defeat, it was the first time that The Gambia had ever participated in the knockout stages of a world championship.

After missing out to Ghana, with the Black Satellites going on to win the World Cup, in the final round of the qualifiers in 2009, The Gambia, guided by Lamin Sarr, now deceased, qualified again for the African U-20 Championship in South Africa. This time though, the Young Scorpions failed to negotiate pass the group stages and were thus knocked out of the competition.

With goals scored away going a long way in deciding the outcome of a home and away series, the Young Scorpions are a foot and a half in the second round, though the technicians would predictably warn against complacency in the second leg. But for the Sierra Leoneans to qualify to the next stage, they would have to score three times in Banjul and hope that the hosts do not score more than one goal.

by Baboucarr Camara &

Alieu Ceesay

A five-day referee training course for FIFA Member Associations (MA) came to end on Tuesday at a hotel in Banjul.

The course, organised by The Gambia Football Federation (GFF) and sponsored by FIFA, brought together Gambia’s elite FIFA and top local referees including four women who were all inducted into the FIFA List of Referees.

Twenty-eight referees in total attended the training and were all certificated after passing a fitness test at the opening of the course.

The GFF President, Lamin Kabba Bajo, who doubles as Chairman of the Referees Committee of the Federation, congratulated the participants for passing the physical fitness test, which according to him was the highest accolade after no reported failures have been recorded.

“Your presence here is based on merit and not longevity. You have to work very hard because we have our leagues and international engagements where people are observing you and, therefore, we cannot compromise with quality and standards,” Bajo said.

He challenged the referees to maintain their integrity and fairness in the game. “I challenge my Referees Committee to increase the number of women referees in the next FIFA List of Referees.”

Speaking earlier, the Adviser to the GFF Executive Committee and a retired international referee, Alhaji Omar Sey, thanked the course instructors for sharing the knowledge hence their understanding of the rules and laws of the game.

“I want to thank the GFF for their support to Gambian refereeing and I must say that I am very proud of that initiative,” Sey said. He noted that one of the strengths of Gambian football is refereeing and hence the celebration of Bakary Papa Gassama as Africa’s best.

The Course Director and FIFA Referee Development Officer, Carlos Henrique, said the end of the course does not mean the end of refereeing. “We are looking for more elite referees on the CAF list and therefore you must work extra hard so that we can have more men and ladies on the merit list,” Henrique said, while thanking the GFF for the support given to referees.

The vote of thanks was delivered by CAF Referee of the Year Bakary Papa Gassama. He thanked the GFF for the good relationship and support extended to the refereeing community. “I want to thank CAF and FIFA for the support and training programme given to us and not forgetting the Government of The Gambia through the Ministry of Youth and Sports.”

Gambia U-20 Coach Omar Sise has strongly appealed to the general public to give maxmum support to the team in its quest to qualify for next year’s African Youth Championship (AYC) in Zambia.

The team returned yesterday from the first leg in Sierra Leone where they defeated the home side 2-0. They arrived at the Banjul International Airport at exactly 05:15am onboard the Royal Air Maroc flight from Casablanca, Morocco.

The team was received on arrival by the President of The Gambia Football Federation, Lamin Kaba Bajo; and Alhagie Faye, a retired referee and a GFF Executive Committee member.

Speaking to Observer Sports at the Airport shortly after their arrival, Sise said he was very happy and proud of his players. “I am proud to be a Gambian and to do something that will make Gambians happy. I pray to God to keep us going. We worked very hard for the success,” he said.

The objective of the team, he said is to qualify the country to the African Youth Championship in Zambia and the World Cup in Japan. “We are going to work very hard to reach there and we need the support of all Gambians,” he emphasised.

With the team going back to camp this Monday ahead of the return leg on the 23rd April, Sise said he is expecting a couple of foreign-based players.

Abodulie Kah, the Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Youth and Sports, who served as the head of the Gambian delegation to Sierra Leone, began by thanking all stakeholders in the journey, particularly the Ministry, for financing the trip. He also extended appreciation to the Gambia’s Ambassador to Sierra Leone, who mobilised Gambians in Makeni, Kono and Freetown to give the moral support to the boys.

DPS Kah said the boys were up to the task and had done everything right from the start to the end of the game. “I must also give thanks and appreciation to the coaching staff because they have done very well. I can say this, without reservation, that the future of Gambian football is in these Young Scorpions,” he told Observer Sports.

On the return leg, DPS Kah said the boys cannot afford to lose the game, going by the performance in the away tie.

Pa Omar Babou, who plays for Banjul United in the domestic first division league, and assistant captain of the team, said they were very happy and proud of themselves after the convincing win. “It had been a while since we [Gambia] tasted victory in our football; so we are very happy and proud of ourselves. We thank all Gambians for the support and prayers,” he remarked.

He went on: “We were ready for the game and were united as a family; thank God we got the victory.”

Babou added that the team is determined to follow in the foot-steps of the 2005 generation of Gambian footballers that won the African U-17 Cup in Banjul and went on to qualify for the African Youth Championship two years later and the 2007 U-20 World Cup in Canada. “We always discuss that and we want to set our own record so that when we leave people will talk about our good legacy. This is our aim and God willing we will achieve it.”

Before breaking into the national team setup, Pa Omar was a football fan and knows how painful it is for one’s team to lose, but he promised that the team will give their best to make the fans happy. “They will see football, entertainment and everything they have missed in Gambian football. We implore on the fans to come out and support the team.”

He described Coach Omar Sise as a great technician and knows what he is doing and treats his players equally and injects extra spirit in them. “We are like one family and always there for each other in terms of happiness and difficulties. We have to thank him [Omar Sise] and the entire coaching staff for the manner they treat us,” he concluded.

Bun Sanneh and Captain Ablie Jallow scored the goals in Makeni and speaking to Observer Sports, Sanneh said he was very happy to score his first goals for the country. “I dedicate my goal to my Dad and my family,” he added.

He said the spirit in the boys remains the same ahead of the return leg and promised to keep the fans’ hopes alive. “Omar Sise is a good coach and he always advises and gives us courage,” he added. He concluded by lauding the unity and oneness among the players and hopes that it continues.

The GFF President, Lamin Kaba Bajo, said he was very proud of the team and the technical staff, while reaffirming the Federation’s commitment to support the team all the way in the qualifiers.

by Alieu Ceesay

Ousman Basi Conateh, widely known as Fisco, has been credited for playing a very critical role in the revitalisation of cricket in The Gambia.

Fisco is a household name in The Gambia and around the sub-region particularly his involvement with his beloved Wallidan Football Club; but few people are aware of his involvement in other sports, especially cricket.

He was an all-time sportsman; a cyclist and a cricketer during his youthful days. An ex-international Gambian cricketer, Fisco, started his involvement in sports administration with cycling and cricket as early as 1952 until the formation of Wallidan Football Club in 1969. The Blues, together with Gambia Ports Authority, remain the only two football clubs that have cricket teams in the various leagues. Wallidan also has a basketball team in the national league.

Cricket was very dormant in The Gambia throughout the most part of the 70s and the 80s but two decades after the formation of Wallidan FC, the national sport was to make a dramatic turn for the good and as destiny would have it, Fisco was to play a critical role in this. It was in the year 1989 when he was on a mission to the State House and met enthusiastic and energetic young people who, a year earlier, had set themselves the goal to revive a sport that has been played in this country since the 1920s.

“It was in 1989 when Fisco was going to State House and met us playing cricket at the July 22nd Square [then called McCarthy Square] and he stopped and commended us for staying true and committed to the game that we love,” Johnny Gomez, the President of The Gambia Cricket Association, recalled in an exclusive interview with Observer Sports yesterday.

“What we didn’t expect was that Fisco would return the next Saturday and hand us two bags of cricket equipment without us making any request. Those materials were very strong and durable and we were using them until the year 2000. So Fisco definitely has played a great role in the revitalisation of Gambian cricket and we have to salute him for that,” Gomez added.

Wallidan Football Club was established under similar circumstances when some boys (grandparents now) came to him for assistance to form a football club, notable among them was Alhaji Babou Sowe (now deceased) and Abdoulie Ngum. Fisco gave the club his time and resources since day one and he was credited for fully taking care of the educational and accommodation needs of the players, as well as turning the fortunes of the club into the most successful in Gambian football history.

He once told Observer Sports in an interview: “For me, Wallidan is my food. It’s my second wife. I am married to Wallidan and I will not stop at anything to make sure Wallidan is always at the peak. We have won doubles, triples and we have broken all the national records. And even at CAF Championships League level, we made great strides. We’ve reached the quarter-final at one time and we could have moved to the top flight of African football if not for the lack of fund from the then football association.”

More details about the evolution of Gambian cricket and the various stakeholders who contributed in its revitalisation will be published in the subsequent editions of the Daily Observer and its weekend supplement, Observer Light.

by Baboucarr Camara

In preparation for the National Inter-department Sports Association (NISA) organised football tournament, the Observer football team will tomorrow (Saturday) play a test match against the Ministry of Agriculture at the Independence Stadium football field. The game kicks-off at 4.30.

The test match will help the rejuvenated Observer FC to assess the level of fitness and areas that need improvement ahead of the 24-team tournament. The team’s last game was when they humiliated The Standard Newspaper 3-0.

The draw for the NISA tournament has already been done and the Observer FC is paired in Group B alongside The Gambia Radio and Television Services, Prison Services, and Fire Services. As a result of the draw, the Observer supremo, Momodou Sabally, who doubles as the Director of the state broadcaster is said to be in a state of limbo because he is finding it tough to decide which team he will play for.

by Alieu Ceesay

Ascend Together, an organisation that seeks to create opportunities for youths in The Gambia through sports, especially in the areas of basketball, have expressed their determination to build the foundation for Gambian basketball at the grassroots level.

The organisation’s programmes focuses on academic commitment, leadership, teamwork, development, discipline and punctuality.

Speaking in an interview with Observer Sports, Alyson Lush, Ascend Together’s Programme Manager, said their association with basketball began through the efforts of several former United States Peace Corps Volunteers who were very much involved in youth basketball during their time in The Gambia, through partnership with The Gambia Basketball Association, schools, youth organisations and other relevant organisations across the country.

“We are currently implementing a project called Rise Gambia. This programme involves 120 upper basic students (60 male and 60 female) from six schools in the Kombos, such as St. Therese’s, Ndows, Latrikunda UBS, Apple Tree, Kotu and SOS. They started sessions on January 18th and been running the sessions with students since that date,” she said.

She added that students are divided into groups of 30 depending on their timetables and schools. LK, Ndows and St Therese’s students are at St Therese’s for practices and students from Kotu, Apple Tress and SOS have been practicing at Kotu.

According to her, their coaches focus on the development of students especially to be academically sound, physically fit, and socially conscious, adding that they hold tutoring sessions in English and mathematics before each training session.,

She noted that their training sessions for the past term have finished this past week, and to reward the students for their hard work, she added, they decided to hold a three-on-three basketball tournament, with music, refreshment at the YMCA basketball court on Saturday at 9am.

by Arfang MS Camara

Gambian midfielder Tijan Jaiteh has signed for Finnish top flight side Kuopion Palloseura (KuPs) for a one-year playing contract that runs until the end of the football season in 2016, Observer Sports can report.

The former Gambia Ports Authority, Brann Bergen, Sandefjord and Sandnes Uif midfielder has been on trial with the Finnish club, based in Kupio.

The former youth team international had been out of club for the past few months after leaving Slovenian side FC Koper. “Palloseura Kuopio and midfielder Tijan Jaiteh (27) have today [Wednesday] signed a one-year playing contract that extends until the end of the football season in 2016,” the Club announced on its website.

He is the latest Gambian to have signed for KuPs, following in the footsteps of midfielder Ebrima Sohna and defender Omar Colley.

byAlieu Ceesay

Zenith Bank is the new champion of the inter-bank football tournament after humiliating Trust Bank Limited (TBL) 4-1 in a grand finale played on Saturday at the Independence Stadium in Bakau.

The tourney, which is named after the late Governor of the Central Bank of The Gambia, Famara Jatta, is aimed at bringing the country’s banking fraternity together to share the same understanding amongst others.

Goals from Lamin Darboe, Alieu Bah, Basiru Camara and Abdourahman Nyang were enough to silence TBL’s management and fans. TBL’s only goal was scored by Modou Lamin Sanyang.

Speaking in a post-match interview with Observer Sports, Tijan A Sambou, the Coach of Zenith Bank, attributed the victory to determination and hard work. “It was not an easy road from the beginning, but with the help of the players, management and fans, we were able to achieve our dreams,” he told Observer Sports.

The preparation ahead of the final, Sambou recalled, was a bit tense because TBL was a good side going by their performance in their first encounter with Zenith in the group stages.

Also speaking to Observer Sports, the Chairman of the Inter-Banks Football Tournament Organising Committee, Yaya Cham, expressed delight with what he described as the successful completion of this year’s competition. He stated that the importance of the tournament is to bring the banking fraternity together and share understanding amongst themselves.

Cham, who also doubles as the President of the Central Bank of The Gambia Staff Association, said that they also want to extend this tournament to the other financial institutions to participate in subsequent competitions, adding that the banking fraternity is also aiming to own their football pitch as well as having a team in the GFF leagues.

As winners, Zenith Bank went home with giant trophy and a cash prize of D25, 000, while TBL pocketed home a consolation prize of D20, 000.

by Alieu Ceesay & Arfang MS Camara

Joshua King has for the first time lifted the lid on his decision to snub the chance to play for Gambia instead of his country of birth, Norway, seven years after the incident.

The only child of a Norwegian mother and a Gambian father, King was offered a contract as a teenager by Manchester United and has twice been offered the chance to represent The Gambia at international level but has stuck with Norway.

King was first offered the chance to train with The Gambia U-17 team in London as they wind up preparations for the World Cup in Nigeria 2009 and said he was at the time concentrated on securing his long term plying future with Manchester United but had assured the Gambian authorities that he would make himself available for selection in the future.

But speaking in a recent interview with the Mirror Newspaper, King, 24, who is a full Norway international said: “I’m proud to be half-African but I am born and raised in Norway so why choose somewhere else.”

King, who responded to The Gambian invitation in an official letter sent to The Gambia Football Association, said at the time that he was honoured to be invited, but was quick to add that he intentions were to first establish himself in the first team of one of the most successful clubs in Europe before answering to national calls, hinting that he is always proud to be a Gambian.

“Thank you very much for your invitation to join the U-17 national team at their training camp in London and later in Nigeria. I am so happy to hear that your team has qualified for such a big competition,” King said in a statement sent to the GFA at the time.

“I would also like to say that I am very honoured to receive the invitation, since I am very proud to be a Gambian. But as you may know, I have got my first team No.41 jersey recently and going away with the team to Nigeria will keep me away for a long time and might delay my chance for a first team place. I therefore hope that you will accept my humble apology, but I have to turn down the invitation for the time being but later I will join the team. I hope that in the future I will succeed at Manchester United and can assure you that I will use my opportunity to help The Gambia – a home town I have always visited since I was born. I have a big family there and it’s always a great experience each time I go there to visit my family. Please give my greetings to U-17 squad and I am sure they would do well,” he concluded.

King went on to represent Norway at ever youth level and made his senior international debut against Iceland in 2012, and scored his first international goal against Cyprus later that year. He has since being capped 19 times by Norway.

His time at Old Trafford, however, was interrupted by a succession of setbacks and after loan spells with Preston North End, Borussia Monchengladbach, Hull City and Blackburn Rovers, King switched to Bournemouth in May 2015. He is one of the key players for the Cherries in their fairytale campaign in the English Premier League, which sees them on the brink of survival, sitting eleven points ahead of the relegation places with just five games remaining.

With less than two years to the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia, FIFA has organised a series of seminars for elite AFC, CAF and OFC referees who are prospects to take charge at future FIFA competitions.

Gambian referee Papa Gassama, who has officiated at the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals, is among the seven invited ones from Africa. Gassama has a very good chance of referring in the 2014 World Cup in Russia after a successful performance in the World Cup finals.

The seminar will begin today April 11, in Doha, Qatar and ends on April 15, 2016 and brings together prospective referees from three FIFA Confederations. The referees will go through a host of activities that includes theoretical sessions in the classroom as well as practical sessions on the field of play.

Gassama, 37, who was rated among the seven best referees at the 2014 World Cup finals with a rating of B+, was in January this year named 2015 African Referee of the Year, his second in a row, equalling the record held by Algerian Haimoudi Djamel who won in 2012 and 2013.

He soared to the prestigious award at the expense of Egyptian Ghead Zaglol Grisha, Janny Sikazwe of Zambia and Gabonese Eric Arnaud Otogo Castane. He was presented with his prize by CAF Executive Committee member, Magd Shams El Dine at the 2015 Glo-CAF Awards Gala on Thursday, 7 January 2016 in Abuja, Nigeria.

The Referee of the Year Award was decided by the votes of CAF Refereeing Committee. Gassama’s next target would be to become the first man to win three straight African Referee of the Year Awards and because of his current standing in the game, both at continental and global level, the Gambian could establish a monopoly that may prove very difficult to surmount.

Having become a FIFA referee in 2007, Papa Gassama has over the last eight years proved to be one of the foremost referees in world football. After refereeing in the 2012 Olympics in London, where he was the fourth official in the Gold Cup Match between eventual winners Mexico and Brazil, the Gambian officiated the Netherlands – Chile clash at the group phase of the 2014 World Cup.

Also in 2014, he refereed the CAF Champions League final second leg as well as games in the qualifiers for the Africa Cup of Nations. Gassama, who participated in his fourth consecutive African Cup of Nations finals in 2015, also refereed his third consecutive African Champions League in 2015.

Gambian international Omar Colley was one of the best performers yet again as Djurgarden came from behind to secure a 2-1 win at Gefle to open up a three-point lead at the top of the Swedish Premier League table.

The former Wallidan prodigy, 24, did not score this time but the defender had a perfect game at the back and didn’t put a foot wrong throughout the entire proceedings at the Gavlevallen Stadion yesterday.

Until this season, the Gambian captain, Colley, is known for his defensive reliability because of his uncompromising style of play but not for his goalscoring prowess. But despite this, he is the fourth highest scorer in the league in 2016 after three rounds with two goals, two adrift of his teammate and leading scorer Sam Johnson.

He had scored in the opening two rounds of the season, scoring the winner in a 2-0 defeat of Orebro in round one and Thursday’s 5-0 annihilation of Falkenberg at the Tele2 Arena.

Throughout Djurgardn’s remarkable start to the season, the defense has leaked in just a solitary goal, coming in yesterday’s game, and that is largely due to Colley’s strong partnership with Sweden defender Elliot Käck.

Colley, who won the African U-17 Championship in Algeria in 2009, is a target for several European clubs in next summer’s transfer window and notable among them are French giants Monaco and Belgium’s Ghent.

The     Ministry of Agriculture on Saturday held the Observer Company Football Club to a thrilling 4-4 friendly draw at the Independence Stadium in Bakau.

A rejuvenated Observer FC, coming into the game on the back of a 3-0 annihilation of the Standard, made their intentions clear from the beginning and opened the scorings after few minutes courtesy of Abdourahman Jallow.

Bolong Gaye, Bakary Jammeh and Modou Ceesay scored the other three goals for the Observer while Lamin Jaiteh, Ebrima Touray, Ebrima Sarr, and Musa Bojang scored for Agriculture.

Speaking to Observer Sports in a post-match interview, Aba Sankarry, head coach of Agriculture, said his side was given a real test by the Observer. “I am very optimistic with the performance of my boys,” he said.

Momodou Faal, the Observer Coach said he was quite happy with the performance of his boys even though his side should’ve won the game. “It is not a bad game because it helps us to identify our weaknesses for the NISA tournament.”

by Alhagie Babou Jallow

The Minister of Youth and Sports has stated that the Sports for Health initiative is aimed at helping the fight against Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs).

Alieu Kebba Jammeh added that the initiative is very important as it also signifies the seriousness of The Gambia Government in the areas of health and sports.

He was speaking on Friday during the opening of the fifth edition of the initiative held at the Serrekunda West Mini-Stadium.

The three-day event, jointly organised by the Ministry of Sports and the Ministry Health is also geared towards promoting a healthy lifestyle through sports. It brought together the United Nations systems in The Gambia, politicians, the judiciary, executive, civil servants, combined forces, business community, and legislators, who participated in the different sporting disciplines and as well socialized to have fun.

Minister Jammeh further said The Gambia Government continues to invest hugely in both health and sports. He, therefore, encouraged everyone to take the initiative seriously.

Representing the World Health Organisation Country Representative, Modou Gassama, said the WHO is very happy to learn that The Gambia is also using this year’s event to observe World Health Day with the theme focusing on diabetes mellitus.

While thanking The Gambia Government through the Sports and Health Ministries for organising such an annual event, he said the number of people living with diabetes have nearly quadrupled from 108 million in 1980 to 422 million in 2014, adding that most of these people live in developing countries.

Saikou Maffuge Fatajo of the Ageing with a Smile Initiative (ASI) expressed delight for partnering with the two Ministries in organising such an event.

by Arfang MS Camara & Jainaba D Jatta

More often than not sports administrators’ brag about ‘volunteering’ to run the affairs of Gambian sports, but hardly do they talk about the benefits associated with that so-called ‘volunteering’.

Gambian sports have for long suffered not because the country cannot produce quality talents like any other country, but because the sport has been infected with what seems like an incurable virus: greedy and power-hungry sports administrators that want to use the sport to enrich themselves.

Despite the allegation and insults directed at them, these self-acclaimed professionals will never think of relinquishing power soon, something that has raised more questions than answers as to the reason (s) why everyone wants to lead sports associations.

Many sporting associations and their sporting disciplines are suffering as a result of people who think they know it all and think they are the only ones to lead those sports associations for the rest of their lives.

Time is running out for The Gambia- a country that has talents in abundance but is yet to make any major breakthrough in any of the sporting disciplines at the global stage.

It is high time that our sports is run and administered by committed and genuine people and not only ‘starving’ people out for unrealistic huge travel and executive meeting allowances.

Athletes are seen sacrificing all what they have just to make the country proud, but sports administrators sometimes seem to give a blind eye to the welfare of these budding talents that have the potential to become great icons like Biri Biri, Messi, Serena Williams, Usain Bolt and many others that we are always glued to our screens to watch when we should have been watching our own stars.

Truth be told, the government and international federations are pumping in millions into sports development in the country, but these monies that come on behalf of Gambian people are mostly diverted into personal use at the expense of sports development.

Talking about decentralizing sports across the country, there is much more to be done as facilities to enhance that decentralization are nowhere close to be seen because everything is centered within the Greater Banjul Area.

Like all other sporting disciplines, athletics for example, the country has only one athletic track at the independence stadium and there is the urgent need to have other athletic tracks and sporting facilities for all sporting disciplines across the major provincial towns. Actions are what are needed and that should start now or else sports would continue to suffer.

In the area of the much followed sport, football, the need is greater now more than ever before for the Gambia Football Federation to put its house in order by making the so-called national league that is being played only within the Kombos more attractive. The GFF should try to have functional regional leagues to keep football competition alive in the regions.

Like the President of the Islamic Republic who has not only declared his support to sports, but went the all the way to make footballers millionaires overnight; those who want to lead our sporting organisations must do their best to create incentives for our budding stars.

It is always good to remember that running an office is not a right but rather a privilege and people expect you to deliver, but that seems not to be the case in our country’s sports.

While praises go to some sports administrators that are doing well in reviving their sports, it is also quite important that the Ministry of Youth and Sports through the National Sports Council is also seen to be supporting these associations with annual subvention to meet some of their costs. The Council should not only stop at setting criteria that sports associations should meet to be recognized by the Council as a National Sports Association.

“It is very unfortunate that our sport is still suffering even though some athletes believe there are better things ahead,” a desperate athlete would always say.

“Sports used to be manned by people who would invest their own resources, but it is a different case now. People now come into office to gain something and leave,” a veteran sports commentator recently opined.

Sports administrators should therefore be transparent and accountable to the people they represent in those offices and they should understand that it is not their farmland or family compound.

As watch dogs of the society, sports journalists therefore have a crucial role to play in holding these sports administrators accountable to the people rather than being used as media officers that would make us to compromise with the ethics of the noble profession. It is the duty of sports journalists to help in fighting corruption by sports administrators in sports for the benefit of all.

by Alieu Ceesay

A 3-on-3 basketball tournament was Saturday held at the YMCA basketball court for junior schools’ students, organised by Ascend Together, an organisation that seeks to create opportunities for youths in The Gambia through sports, especially in the area of basketball.

The organisation’s programmes focus on academic commitment, leadership, teamwork, development, discipline and punctuality.

Binto Dambely, a student of St Therese’s Upper Basic School said she was very happy to take part in the tournament, saying she learnt a lot. The teenager told Observer Sports that she has been playing the game for two years now and looks forward to pursuing her career as a basketball athlete.

Isatou Tall, a student from Apple Tree International said she was participating in such basketball tournament for the first time. According to her, she loves the game and thanks the organisers for having the foresight to stage such tournament. She promised to continue training to better understand and improve in the game.

Alyson Lush, Ascend Together’s Programme Manager, said their association with basketball began through the efforts of several former United States Peace Corps Volunteers who were very much involved in youth basketball during their time in The Gambia, through partnership with The Gambia Basketball Association, schools, youth organisations and other relevant organisations across the country.

“We are currently implementing a project called Rise Gambia. This programme involves 120 upper basic students (60 male and 60 female) from six schools in the Kombos, such as St. Therese’s, Ndows, Latrikunda UBS, Apple Tree, Kotu and SOS. They started sessions on January 18th and been running the sessions with students since that date,” she said.

She expressed delight for the improvement in the kids going by the skills demonstrated during the tournament.

by Fatou Gassama

Combined Service were on Sunday crowned winners of the 2016 Sports for Health competition with 166 points, followed by the Judiciary in second while the Politicians finished 149 points.

Speaking at the closing ceremony after the three-day sporting activities, the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Omar Sey, congratulated the Ministry of Youth and Sports for championing the event in partnership with his Ministry. He urged all to take sports seriously and do daily exercises as it is very good. He also commended all those that participated in the event.

For his part, Chief Justice of The Gambia, Emmanuel Fagbenle, also congratulated the two Ministries of Health and Sports for organising the event, stressing the importance of exercise in maintaining a healthy body.

As champions, Opa Keita of Combined Services said he was a happy man. He further stated that sports for health is something very important as it promotes healthy lifestyle.

by Jainaba D. Jatta

The West African Football Union (WAFU) is an association of the football playing nations in West Africa formed in 1975. It was split by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) into Zone A and Zone B, citing “the organisational issues that faced WAFU.”

The Gambia is in Zone A together with Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Senegal, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania and Sierra Leone.

During WAFU’s second General Assembly held in February this year in the Senegalese City of Dakar, President Augustin Senghor who also doubles as the President of the Senegalese Football Association was re-elected unopposed for another four-year term.

Musa Hassan Bility (Liberia) was elected first Vice President; Ahmed Yahya (Mauritania) as second Vice President; Baboucarr Baba Diarra (Mali) third Vice President; and Lopes Manuel Nascimento (Guinea Bissau) – 4th Vice President.

Other executive members are Ms. Isha Johansen (Sierra Leone); Lamin Kaba Bajo (Gambia); Salifu Camara (Guinea), and Victor Ozorio (Cape Verde).

Gambian-born Jammeh EK Bojang is the Secretary General of WAFU and The Gambia is hosting the headquarters of this football body. The office is said to be located in Bakoteh even though not many people, including the GFF President, know about the location of the office in the country.

WAFU is an organ of CAF that came into being as a result of the need to divide the African countries into different zones so that the zones can also be busy organising football-related activities in terms of tournaments and training programmes.

“It is a privilege for The Gambia to host the headquarters and also for the secretariat to be headed by a Gambian [Jammeh EK Bojang]. It is a very important organisation as far as football and football-related activities are concerned in this part of West Africa,” said GFF President Lamin Kaba Bajo.

What is clear is that WAFU has not really been very active, considering the poor participation of countries in the last two tournaments hosted in Senegal. The last U-20 WAFU tournament held in St. Louis, Senegal was attended by only four countries out of the nine countries.

Well, Bajo shared the same view and told Observer Sports that there is the need to put the Union on its proper footing so that it can better serve the membership.

The Confederation of African Football gives an annual subvention for the upkeep of the secretariat and running of certain programmes. However, WAFU Executive Member Bajo said, that is inadequate looking at the cost involve. “What we tasked ourselves [WAFU members] is to embark on more serious fundraising activities because we cannot solely rely on the CAF subvention. And unfortunately also, the membership subscriptions are not paid by members,” he further told Observer Sports.

With much more left to be achieved in terms of capacity building programmes and benefits associated with being WAFU member, the Union is therefore challenged to step up and put its house in order.

Though the Secretariat is housed in The Gambia, Bajo disclosed to Observer Sports at the time that he did not know the location of the Secretariat. “I am waiting for an invitation to go and see the office and if there is any support needed we can support.”

The need to orgnise different tournaments across the different levels is quite important, but according to Bajo, he is not expecting swift changes within a short period.

by Alieu Ceesay

Harambee Starlets made history on Tuesday when they qualified for their first ever Africa Women’s Championships after holding Algeria to a 1-1 draw in the return leg of their second round clash in Nairobi.

The result saw the Starlets go through on away goals after a 3-3 aggregate and make the continental showpiece event set for Cameroon in November.

It will be the first appearance by any Kenyan team at the Afcon finals since the men’s side competed in the Tunisia 2004 edition.

Substitute Cheris Avilia Salono was the heroine as her second-half goal pulled Starlets level after the visitors had taken a first-half lead through Bouheni Naima.

With most of the hard work done last Friday when the Kenyans held Algeria to a 2-2 draw in Algiers, the hosts went into the game aware that a 0-0 or 1-1 draw or a win of any kind would see them through to the finals.

Coach David Ouma had made two changes from the side that played in Algiers with Ann Aluoch and Esse Akida introduced to the starting eleven.

The home side started well with Mwanahalima Adam and Okida almost fashioning a chance after four minutes.

Mwanahalima thought she had given Kenya the lead after 14 minutes but her effort was chalked off for offside.

Then out of nowhere, the Algerians took the lead when Naima converted from close range after Starlets keeper Samantha Akinyi had parried Fatima Bara’s free kick onto her path.

Stung by the goal, Starlets poured forward in search of an equaliser pinning their opponents in their own half for the rest of the opening period.

Ouma made a quick change seven minutes into the second half introducing Salono for Ann Alouch, before introducing Vivian Aquino Odhiambo for Caroline Anyango Omondi.

The equaliser arrived 15 minutes from time as Nafula’s well-crafted free kick found Salono at the edge of the box and she made no mistake with a sweetly struck effort.

Faced with elimination, the Algerians pushed hard for the winner, forcing two corners in added time but Kenya held on to the end.

Source: SuperSports

As part of its desire to see more Gambian sportsmen and women at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil, The Gambia National Olympic Committee (GNOC) is once again providing full funding for The Gambia women’s beach volleyball team for the third and final round of the continental cup, a qualification competition for Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

The funding from the NOC includes air tickets, accommodation, feeding and allowances for the four players and the coach, as well as ticket and accommodation for the accompanied referee from Tunisia.

The qualifying tournament is scheduled to take place from 12 to 18 April 2016 in Abuja, Nigeria.

The twelve teams, vying for the single ticket for the Rio Games, are divided into four groups of three teams each. The Gambia is paired with Ghana and Burkina Faso in the group stages.

The Gambian delegation left the Banjul International Airport on Sunday 10th April for Abuja.

In his farewell statement to the delegation, the President of GNOC, Alhaji Momodou Dibba, called on the players to be focused while in Abuja, saying their success in the tournament is the success of the nation. “Stay together as a team, consult each other and communicate at any given time as everybody wants to see you in the Rio Games,” Dibba told the players.

For his part, the newly elected first Vice President of The Gambia Volleyball Federation, Bai Dodou Jallow, said this is the first time for The Gambia as a nation to reach this level in the Olympic qualifiers. He said thanks and appreciation should be returned to the GNOC for funding the team; from training to the competition in Abuja. “Since we started our training programmes after we returned from Abidjan, GNOC has provided transport fares for the players to and from the training ground at Palma Rima Beach. Lot of efforts have been put together to make sure the team is set to face any challenge during the competition,” Jallow said.

He urged the players to seize this great opportunity by qualifying to Rio 2016 Games as well as writing another history in Gambian sports.

The following is a list of the delegation to Abuja: Players; Sainabou Tambedou (Gamtel/Gamcel), Amie Gaye (Interior), Fatoumatta Ceesay (Interior) and Abie Kujabie (GAF), Coach; Ebrima Nyass.

Reporting by Namory Trawally, GNOC Information Assistant

The Gambia Ports Authority at the weekend thrashed Brikama XI in the senior men’s domestic cricket league game played at the July 22nd Square in Banjul.

Ports won the toss and batted first and scored 222 runs in 25 overs, with 4 wickets down in 25 overs played. Melvin Williams scored 77 runs, the highest. He  also bowled and took 3 wickets for 9 runs in 4 overs bowled.

Brikama batted in the second innings and scored 60 runs all out in 12 overs. Baboucarr Kuyateh batted and got 16 runs, the highest for them. Yiramba Gassama bowled and took 2 wickets for 13 runs in 1 over.

GPA won by 162 runs and 6 wickets. The man of the match was Melvin Williams.

Elsewhere at the weekend, Wallidan defeated the Young Saints in their encounter played on Sunday 11 April 2016. Saint’s batted first and scored 102 runs all out in 16. Ousman Bah scored 27 runs, the highest.

Wallidan batted in the second innings and scored 103 runs in 7 overs for 1 wicket down. Andre Jurju scored 68 runs, the highest for them. George Greenwoode bowled and took 5 wickets for 14 runs in 3 overs.

Wallidan won by 10 wickets and the man of the march was Andre Jarju

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