Cabinet Ministers of The Gambia have hailed the initiative taken by the two Ministries of Health and Sports to organise the annual Sports for Health event.

The initiative is geared towards promoting a healthy lifestyle through sports. It brought together the UN family, politicians, judiciary, executive, legislature, civil servants, combined forces, business community, NGOs, and parastatals who participated in different sporting disciplines, as well socialised.

Speaking in an interview with Observer Sports, the Minister of Basic and Secondary Education, Dr. Fatou Lamin Faye, said sports is very important particularly in disease control such as diabetes and other non-communicable diseases.

While encouraging everybody to be participating in such events, she cited the WHO report, which indicated that the global prevalence of the diseases has also nearly doubled from 4.7% in 1980 to 8.5% in 2014. The report, she added, shows that diabetes is on the rise and it’s not at a slow rate.

Abdou Jobe, the Trade Minister said he was in attendance not only to actively take part, but as well to show support to an initiative from sister ministries, while Ousman Sonko, the Interior Minister afirmed that the initiative is very important. He agreed that sports can help in promoting a healthy living.

Minister Sonko therefore encouraged all civil servants and the general public at large to embrace sports.

The Chief Justice of The Gambia, Emmanuel Fagbenle, thanked the event organisers for the foresight, while expressing hope that the initiative would continue.

by Arfang MS Camara &

Jainaba D Jatta

by Modou Lamin Jammeh

Buba Findi Jammeh, a young Gambian footballer based in the United States of American, is making waves in the Premier Development League (PDL) of the North American country.

The ex-Brikama United, Interior and Steve Biko F.C left back, played for North Sound Seawolves and Seattle Sounders F. C before he was signed by his current side Kitsap Pumas F.C. He played for The Gambia U-17 team that won the African Championship in 2009 in Algeria and also played several games for the U-20 and U-23 teams.

In an interview with Observer Light, Jammeh said he was born and brought up in Brikama Berewuleng, a place well known for football in the town. He added that he started playing football at a very young age and after realising the potentials in him, he decided to take the game seriously which got him to this level.

“I have played and won series of trophies for different clubs and I am still doing my best. I know that football is not an easy game, as I have spent my whole life doing it. It needs focus, determination and perseverance to realise your goals,” he said.

Figo, as he is fondly called, further added that his recent club is one of the best sides in the U.S. “I like my team so much as it is blessed with so many fine people. My teammates are superb and very experience in the game of soccer. I really enjoy playing with fine players as it makes the job easier. Kitsap is well known for victory and that made us well recognised in the U.S and beyond.”

Buba Findi revealed that he is happy to realise that so many young Gambians are doing great in global sports. He commended their efforts and encouraged them to continue doing it for their nation. “Gambian football is really growing and Gambians are very supportive to their players for the fact that they always show love and the interest of their players is always an utmost concern to them. The Gambia Football Federation (GFF) is also doing its best for the development of the country’s football in its effort in ensuring that our national teams doesn’t lack anything is highly appreciated and respected,” he said.

Figo finally thanked his previous coaches, family and friends for being supportive throughout his career. He expressed sincere appreciation for the initiation of Observer Light and encouraged the entire staff of the Observer Company to keep up the good work.

by Arfang MS Camara

The annual National Sports Award and Gala Night, organised by the Sports Journalists’ Association of The Gambia (SJAG), has been scheduled for 22nd April 2016.

The event is meant to recognise and reward past and present sports personalities. The Association has been staging the event for the past six years, and the organisers are looking forward to another successful event.

“It is, therefore, important and befitting for all Gambians to come on board and be part of this event, as we want to celebrate our own countrymen and women who have immensely contributed to sports development in the past and present. It is high time we are seen celebrating our own athletes in a different style,” said Alieu Ceesay, Secretary General of SJAG.

Like previous editions, Ceesay said, this year’s award is expected to be graced by prominent personalities from within and outside the country. “This is a national event that The Gambia and every patriotic Gambian should be seen actively contributing towards making it a successful one. The Association is calling on the public and private institutions to partner in staging the event. Institutions are encouraged to buy a gala table for ten people at D25, 000 and as well sponsor an award for D30, 000.”

The different categories for this year’s award ceremony are: Sports Personality of The Year Award; Best Local Based Athlete 2015; Best Foreign Based Athlete 2015; Best Coach of the Year 2015; Best Team of the Year 2015; Best Institution in Support of Sports, and Best Referee of The Year 2015.

by Binta Bah

Gambia’s football legend Biri Biri and Gamtel Coach Mustapha Manneh have been sharing their views on what it takes to be signed as a professional football player.

Speaking in an interview with Observer Light, Biri who played for Sevilla in Spain and B1901 in Denmark said the player should be in good shape both physically and mentally, and must be vigilant at all times. He added that the player also needs to understand some technical aspects of the game.

“To sign a player depends on the country you are playing, like compared to our time, it was difficult to be a professional player,” he said.

For Manneh, a player should have quality, which is his strength; flexibility and speed should be ok to help him defeat his opponents. He went further to say that a player should be mentally stable and talented.

“A player should have individual skills and a good natural appearance and game intelligence, meaning a player should be able to know the weaknesses of a particular player or team and use that to his own advantage in order to have victory,” he concluded.

At one point in his career, ex-Scorpion goalkeeper Pa Dembo Touray was the eighth highest paid footballers in the whole of Sweden, thus making him the highest paid player from The Gambia.

In our bid to find out who replaces the former Real de Banjul and Djurgarden goal keeper as the highest paid Gambian footballer presently, Observer Light brings you three of the best paid.

Modou Barrow:

Gambian international Modou Barrow became the first Gambian to play in the English Premier League when he signed for Swansea City from Ostersunds in the Swedish second tier. Barrow is definitely top of this league as the highest paid Gambian footballer because of his status as a Premier League star. The average salary for a Premier League footballer is a mouth-watering £44,000-a-week – totaling a yearly pay of £2.29million.

Mustapha Carayol:

The English market has been the attraction for many footballers because of its financial might, largely due to the lucrative television packages. The average pay of an English Championship player is £9000 per week, equating to £468,000 on average per annum, a staggering sum for a second tier – and higher than most top divisions around the world.

Sanna Nyassi:

Third on the list is Sanna Nyassi who plays for the San Jose Earthquakes in the Major League Soccer. Unlike other leagues, the MLS Players’ Union releases the salaries of its players every year. The former Gambia U-17 and U-20 forward is the only Gambian in the MLS with a six-figure pay earning a base salary of $140,000 and a guaranteed compensation fee of $147,625, each per annum.

In this week’s edition of “Hits and misses” series, we bring you three players that have failed to fully harness their potentials despite impressive beginnings as youngsters.

Arthur Gomez:

He was signed directly from the Gambian league by one of world football’s greatest club managers Sir Alex Ferguson for Manchester United and Arthur Gomez had the world under his feat. He should’ve been the first Gambian to play in the English Premier League, but even though he remained in the books of the 20 times English champions for four years, he failed to appear for the Red Devils even in a practice game. He spent that entire four years on loan at Belgian side Royal Antwerp where he played 44 league games, scoring 12 times during an injury-disrupted career. Arthur came to prominence while playing in the local Serrekunda East Nawettan and later Hawks where he was to break into the national team.

Aziz Corr Nyang:

Aziz Corr Nyang had an on and off stint in the national team but when available and on form, he can be a nightmare for any defender. Aziz was destined for international stardom, especially when he joined Djurgarden in the Swedish top flight, but after only seven league games between 2002 and 2004, he was shipped out, first on loan to Atvidabergs and later on a permanent basis to Tyreso. He is one of the most skilful players that The Gambia has ever produced and even though he is still going strong at 31 for Assyriska in the Swedish second tier, where he played most of his career, Aziz is regarded in many quarters as a lost talent who was set for bigger things.

Daddy Gai:

Pa Amadou Gai, widely known as Daddy Gai, came to prominence while playing for his boyhood club Bakau United in the domestic Gambian first division league. His career in began in 1997 in the youth setup of Bakau United and went on to make his debut for the first team in 2005, and played in the First Division for four seasons. He finished the 2007/08 season as Bakau United’s top scorer and scored nine goals in 11 games in the 2008/09. He signed for Montreal Impact in the MLS and was released less than two months into a two-year contract and joined Senegalese Premier League side ASC HLM. A former Gambia U-17, U-20 and U-23 forward, Daddy Gai played a few games for the Scorpions.

Kenya have qualified for the Africa Women Cup of Nations for the first time ever as Nigeria also advance to defend their title in Cameroon.

Equatorial Guinea, the only other team to win the women’s continental title, will also be at the finals in November pending an investigation by the Confederation of African Football.

Having already qualified for the Rio Olympics in August both South Africa and Zimbabwe also reached the continental finals.

Ghana and Egypt join Cameroon as hosts in the eight-team finals.

Kenya reached the finals by beating Algeria on the away goals after a 3-3 aggregate draw over two legs.

The sides drew 1-1 in Nairobi on Tuesday, having drawn in Algiers 2-2 last week, and Kenya go through having scored twice away from home.

The result had seemed to be going Algeria’s way when they took the lead on 21 minutes from Naima Bouheni – just after Kenya had a goal disallowed for offside.

But Kenya levelled in the second-leg tie in the 79th minute through Cherish Avilla to qualify for a continental finals for the first time.

Reigning champions Nigeria will defend their title in Cameroon after beatingSenegal 2-0 in the second leg of their qualifier on Tuesday for a 3-1 win on aggregate.

The Super Falcons missed a chance to take the lead on the half-hour when Arsenal player Asisat Oshoala hit the bar with a penalty kick.

Bit six minutes later Rita Chikwelu broke the deadlock and almost immediately after the break Osaremona Igbinovia doubled the lead.

Senegal’s misery was compounded when their coach was shown a red card on 50 minutes.

South Africa completed a 5-0 aggregate win over neighbours Botswana with a 3-0 victory on Tuesday.

Banyana Banyana scored their first goal in the 18th minute as Mamello Makhabane scored from the penalty spot.

Sanah Mollo and then a vicious shot from Nompumelelo Nyandeni’s made it 3-0 before half-time.

There was also a convincing 4-0 second leg win for Ghana over visitingTunisia to make it 6-1 overall.

Samira Suleman and Portia Boakye both scored before half-time.

The rout was completed with goals from Priscilla Adobea and a second from Suleman after the break.

On Monday, Egypt booked their place by beating Ivory Coast, going though on away goals.

Ivory Coast won the second leg of their tie 2-1 in Abidjan to make the score 2-2 on aggregate.

Rebecca Elloh and Tia Ines scored for the Ivorians , who played at the World Cup in Canada last year, before half-time to give the hosts an overall lead.

But a goal in the 86th minute from Nevein Gamal made the score 2-2 overall and Egypt progressed on the away goals rule.

Zimbabwe were the first team to qualify for the finals with a 4-2 overall win overZambia on Sunday.

The second leg of the final round tie finished 3-2 to visiting Zimbabwe after Zambia had twice came from behind.

Kudakwashe Basopo, who scored the only goal of the first leg in Harare, gave Zimbabwe the perfect start with an away goal after just six minutes.

Zambia drew level midway through the first half through Noria Sosala but Samkelisiwe Zulu restored the lead for Zimbabwe 10 minutes before the break.

Misozi Zulu matched her namesake when she scored from the penalty sport for Zambia to make it 2-2 but Zimbabwe’s Emmaculate Msipa scored a winner with just a minute left to play.

It means Zimbabwe’s women have two major tournaments this year after theyqualified for the Olympics in Rio.

It is the fourth time Zimbabwe have qualified for the continental finals for women, their best showing was fourth place in 2000.

Also on Sunday, Equatorial Guinea, who are the only nations apart from Nigeria to have won the African title, booked their place in the finals with a 2-1 win over Mali in Malabo.

The result took them through 3-2 on aggregate, however the Confederation of African Football say they are now investigating whether Equatorial Guinea used any ineligible players in the matches.

It follows their disqualification from the qualifiers for the women’s football tournament at the Olympics in 2020 after Fifa found them guilty of using ineligible players in the qualifying ties for this year’s Games in Rio – that they failed to reach.

Source: BBC Sports

Cristiano Ronaldo is a “constructed phenomenon”, while Lionel Messi is a “pure talent”, according to Granada defender Cristiano Biraghi.

Biraghi joined Granada on a loan deal from Inter last summer and has played against both Ronaldo and Messi this season.

Messi scored a brilliant hat-trick in Barca’s 4-0 win over Granada in January, while Ronaldo drew a blank in Real’s 1-0 victory last year.

Biraghi rates both men extremely highly but feels that Messi’s talents would not wane if he stopped training, a statement that he does not feel applies to Ronaldo.

Speaking exclusively to Goal, he said: “It’s really hard to choose between Messi and Ronaldo. I think Messi is pure talent, while Ronaldo is a constructed phenomenon.

“And I do not mean that negatively, but quite simply the Argentinian is quite natural, while the Portuguese has studied everything in detail.

“I always say that Messi could even stop training by tomorrow and would not change anything, if Ronaldo were to do the same, however, would not the same thing. He is a professional machine”

Neymar also scored in Barca’s 4-0 win, netting in the 83rd minute, and Biraghi has lauded the Brazil international, despite admitting that he had not seen the 24-year-old in action prior to his move to Spain.

“Before I came here in Spain, I had never seen an entire game of Neymar. Sure, you could see he was a phenomenon, I watched videos on Youtube and his goals and it was evident that it was not a normal player,” he added.

“But to see it in the game is another thing, because it gives you the feeling of having in front a complete player, both from a technical standpoint, but also in intensity, availability, self-sacrifice.”

Source: Goal.com

Kiang Kwinella FC were on Sunday crowned champions of the National Council for Civic Education (NCCE) Access to Justice football tournament after a narrow 1-0 defeat of neigbours Nema.

The game that was played at the Kwinella Senior Secondary School’s football field saw Captain Bakary Sanneh scored the only goal after 72 minutes.

The four teams that took part in the three-day tournament were Nema, Kwinella, Kwinella Apple Academy, and Wurokang.

As champions, Kwinella FC went home with D15, 000 and a giant trophy, while Nema FC received a consolation prize of D7, 000 as runners-up.

Wurokang FC finished third place and went home with D5, 000, while Kwinella Apple Academy FC pocketed home D3, 000.

The final of the tournament was attended by the LRR Governor Salifu Puye, and Chief of Kiang Central District Alhaji Demba Sanyang.

The participating teams were also given a set of jersey each and a brand new football, while the teams’ supporters were also given T-Shirts with the slogan: Access to Justice is Your Right, scuffs and caps.

by Lamin B. Darboe

The Norway-Gambia Limited, Norga, has presented football materials to the Observer Company Football Club in a ceremony held at the Newspaper’s Conference Room on Wednesday.

The materials, which included three footballs, one complete set of jerseys and shocks came at a time when the Observer FC is preparing to participate in the NISA football tournament.

The team’s first game is on Sunday against The Gambia Radio and Television Services at the Father Gough Sports Complex in Manjai Kunda. Kick off is at 9:30am.

In handing over the materials, Ba Jabbi of NORGA said the donation is a beginning of what would be a long term partnership with the Daily Observer.

Admin Manager at the Daily Observer, Madikhan Jobarteh, thanked Norga for the timely gesture extended to the team.

While assuring the proper use of the materials, he reaffirmed Observer’s commitment for a partnership with Norga in the future.

Mustapha Bojang the Financial Controller at the Daily Observer said the Newspaper has not only been an information centre, but is also taking part in sports.

He equally thanked Norga for the gesture.

In his vote of thanks, Momodou Jallow, a player for the Observer team thanked and promised that the team will live up to expectations.

by Jainaba D Jatta

The Gambia U-20 team has resumed preparations for its African Youth Championship qualifiers by returning to training at the Independence Stadium this week.

The team resumed training on Monday after the 2-0 first leg win in Sierra Leone. The second leg is slated for April 23.

In a friendly game played on Wednesday morning, Omar Sise’s charges thrashed first division side Serrekunda United 4-1.

The team has been joined by four players from Norway and Germany who are on trials while hoping for a possible inclusion ahead of the decider. The Norwegian contingent consisted of Isack Ceesay, Sulayman Bojang and Erik Stafford, and Modou Camara from Germany. The quartet said they are happy to join the team and looking forward to breaking into the side.

Speaking to Observer Sports shortly after the game, Coach Omar Sise, said he was quite happy with the result and performance of the boys.

On the four new players that are on trials with the team, Sise said their positions were not guaranteed [at the time] unless they prove themselves. “We did pretty much good.”

As to how important was the test match and upcoming test on Friday against Steve Biko, Sise said he likes playing test matches to be sure of his team in terms of strength and weaknesses.

The confident-looking Sise is quite upbeat that his side can make the fans happy on the 23rd April at the Stadium.

by Alieu Ceesay

Ida Bah, an executive member of the Sports Journalists’ Association of The Gambia (SJAG) arrived in the Malian capital of Bamako for the AIPS-Africa Congress.

The International Sports Press Association (AIPS) is global body of sports journalists.

During the congress, delegates representing sports journalists’ associations in Africa will deliberate on issues surrounding the AIPS Africa with a view to mapping out the way forward for the continental body.

The Bamako Congress was scheduled to take place in December 2015, but had to be deferred as a result of a terrorist attack on the Hotel identified to host the meeting.

The Bamako congress comes less than two months since the global AIPS Congress was held in Doha, Qatar.

by Alieu Ceesay

The President of The Gambia Basketball League, Muhammed Papa Njie, has warned that teams could lose points if they show up at matches 15 minutes after the scheduled time.

He said the successful completion of this year’s league being played at the basketball court of the Independence Stadium will depend on teams starting their games on time.

“Teams are expected to report to the court at least 15 minutes before the stated start time. Teams will lose their points if they show up 15 minutes after the published start time,” the GBA boss stated.

Below is the domestic basketball league fixture.

by Alieu Ceesay

The Gambia Football Federation (GFF) has announced it has banned Serrekunda United Football Club Coach Modou Njie and Team Manager Ebrima Njie for four games, after they were sent off against Bombada Football Club.

The GFF, who made the announcement through its weekly newsletter, said the duo was sent for an early berth for persistently using abusive language on the match official in the game played at the Box Bar Mini-Stadium in Brikama.

“Modou Njie and Ebrima Njie are suspended for four consecutive matches with immediate effect. They are not to sit or stand behind the team bench nor are they allowed to enter the dressing room before, during and after the games. Failure to comply will lead to a severe disciplinary action,” the GFF stressed.

The Federation added that Bubacarr Sawo, a player of the same team, was also sent off for receiving a second yellow card, and as a result, he is unqualified to play the subsequent match of his team.

In a similar move, the GFF said it has suspended Saikouba Nyassi, a player of second division side Immigration, for two games after he was sent off for serious foul play against Red Hawks at the KG5 Mini-Stadium in Banjul.

by Alieu Ceesay

Barcelona began the month of April looking, once again, to be the dominant team in Europe. It had comfortably dispatched Arsenal in the round of 16 in the Champions League and held a clear lead in the battle to win La Liga. It was on a 39-match unbeaten run, and Lionel Messi, the No. 1 player on its star-stuffed roster, was on the verge of scoring his 500th goal.

But that was nearly two weeks ago, and somehow, since then, Barcelona has managed to lose its way. First, it lost back-to-back games in La Liga. And then, on Wednesday night, in a stunning setback, it failed to make it out of the Champions League quarterfinals, eliminated by its Spanish rival Atlético Madrid by a 2-0 score, with both goals scored by the French forward Antoine Griezmann.

The result allowed Atlético to move on to the semifinal round, where it will be joined by Real Madrid, Manchester City and Bayern Munich, which tied at Benfica, 2-2, on Wednesday to advance on aggregate, 3-2. Meanwhile, Barcelona’s bid to defend its Champions League title was at an end.

Barcelona, playing at home, had beaten Atlético, 2-1, in the first leg of their matchup, although it had not looked all that convincing in doing so. And in the rematch Wednesday, played on Atlético’s turf, Barcelona seemed even less imposing.

This time, the game not only underlined the fragility of Barcelona’s defense, arguably always its weakest point, but also emphatically pointed to the sudden loss of form by its trident of superstar forwards — Messi, Neymar and Luis Suárez.

As the game proceeded, Suárez fired two good shots straight at Jan Oblak, Atlético’s goalkeeper. As for Neymar, he was a bystander throughout most of the game. And Messi’s disappointing performance culminated in his failure to capitalize on Barcelona’s final opportunity, when he took a free kick on the edge of the penalty box but sent it a little bit wide.

When it was over, Atlético had prevailed. And in La Liga, it now trails a seemingly vulnerable Barcelona by just 3 points.

All of this is a credit to Diego Simeone, who has rebuilt the team since taking over as Atlético’s coach five years ago, with much of his success coming from the club’s gritty defense. Two years ago, he took Atlético to the Champions League final while also wining La Liga. And going into Wednesday’s matchup, Atlético had not conceded a goal in 10 of its previous 11 home games in the Champions League.

When the game began Wednesday, Atlético started on its front foot, while on the other end, Barcelona hardly threatened. It took 25 minutes for Barcelona even to win a corner kick.

In the absence of Fernando Torres, who was suspended after being sent off in the first leg in Barcelona, Atlético’s attacking prospects relied heavily on Griezmann. He had already scored 27 goals this season, and he rose to the challenge. In the 35th minute, Griezmann put Atlético into the lead with a perfectly timed header on a cross by Sául.

Griezmann’s goal changed the dynamics of the game, with Barcelona forced to push forward in search of an equalizer, as Atlético held the edge with an away goal. But it repeatedly crashed into a disciplined Atlético defense, marshaled by Diego Godín, the rugged Uruguayan who repeatedly tussled with his countryman Suárez.

Luis Enrique, Barcelona’s coach, tried to change the momentum of the game, but to little avail. In the 64th minute, he made a double substitution to regain control of the midfield. Dani Alves made way for Sergi Roberto, and Ivan Rakitic was replaced by Arda Turan, the former Atlético player who joined Barcelona last summer. He was loudly booed by the home fans on Wednesday.

Barcelona pressed forward. But with time starting to run out, it was Barcelona’s defense that was once more split open, this time by an Atlético break down the left side of the field. It eventually forced Andrés Iniesta, Barcelona’s captain, to handle the ball inside the penalty area to stop a clear-cut goal-scoring opportunity. Griezmann converted the resulting penalty shot to give Atlético a 2-0 lead in the 88th minute.

And after the one brief scare from Messi’s free kick — a hand ball by Atlético’s captain, Gabi, that was ruled to be just outside the penalty area, although Barcelona argued otherwise — it was time for Atlético to rejoice with the 55,000 fans packed into its Vicente Calderón Stadium, a place that has been a daunting venue for visiting teams, and was again on Wednesday.

Despite the high stakes, the first two-thirds of the game did not produce the avalanche of yellow cards that the first leg in Barcelona did. Gabi received the first caution of the game, after 68 minutes, for a challenge on Messi. But in the final stages, amid the intensity of the upset that was taking place, the encounter got scrappier, including an altercation after Griezmann’s penalty kick. Before the game was over, Nicola Rizzoli, the Italian referee, ended up producing a further seven yellow cards.

After the game, Enrique did not elaborate on what had gone wrong but fully acknowledged his team’s overall loss of form. “We’re not in our best moment, nor effective,” he said.

He had gone into the game comforted by the knowledge that his team had always beaten Atlético this season and that, under his management, Barcelona had not lost in seven games against Simeone’s team. After Wednesday’s victory, Simeone was happy to recall that statistic: “It has been seven matches that we didn’t win against Barça,” he said. “One day, it had to be our turn.” And on Wednesday, it was.

Source: New York Times

Aurthor:  Baboucarr Camara

Gambian students in Turkey on Saturday defeated their counterparts from Iraq with a crushing 4-1 win in the International Students’ World Cup Tournament 2016 in the Turkish capital of Ankara. Lamin Dibba scored a hat-trick in Saturday’s 4-1 thrashing.

The competition is organised by the Turkish Prime Abroad and Related Communities Directorate, (T.C Yurtdışı Türkler ve Akraba Topluluklar Başkanlığı, Uluslararası öğrenciler Dünya kupası). The aim of the competition is to foster mutual understanding and togetherness among international students residing in Turkey.

Lamin Dibba scored the opener for The Gambia after 10 minutes and added a second passed the 20-minute mark to double his side’s advantage. Substitute Yahya Sonko added a third in the second half before passing the baton to Dibba to complete his hat-trick in stoppage time.

Speaking in an interview after the game, Modou Beyai, the Gambian captain expressed happiness and satisfaction over the performance of his mates during the match. “I’m really happy about our performance in the match, even though we were only informed about the game at the last 24-hours,” Beyai said.

Malick Jallow, coach and coordinator of the Gambian team said: “Am overwhelmed about the performance of my footballers and more so, for the sense of understanding displayed in the pitch. This earned us the victory.”

Defeating a team like Iraq is a great boost for The Gambia in this tournament, said Babacarr Fatty, a technical adviser to the team, adding “Despite the size of our country, we can do more in varieties of activities.”

Adviser Fatty stated that, what is most amazing about the game was the sense of discipline and professionalism displayed by his players in the pitch towards their counterparts. He encouraged the team to always keep up the spirit of winning and professionalism. “I have trust on my team,” he said.

by Yaya B. Baldeh in Ankara, Turkey

It was a 2-1 win for Observer FC against The Gambia Radio and Television Services (GRTS) in the two sides’ opening game of the NISA inter-department football tournament at the Father Gough Sports Complex in Manji Kunda on Sunday.

Two stunning goals from Yusupha Gaye and substitute Ebou Corr in the second half were enough to give the media power house, Observer FC, a convincing win against a stubborn opponent. Assan Cham scored a controversial goal to pull a goal back later in the game.

The hype before the game was very high, but this defeat, which left a bitter taste in the mouth of GRTS, is something that the national broadcaster would live to remember for a very long time.

In a post match interview, Pamodou Faal, head coach of Observer FC congratulated his players for the victory. The Observer FC, he said had two good test games with Standard Newspaper and the Agric Ministry to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the team.

While thanking his technical staff, Faal also commended the management of the Company for the support. On the next two games against The Gambia Fire and Rescue Services and The Gambia Prison Services, he said the priority for Observer FC is to win them both.

Sulayman T Sanyang is the head coach of GRTS. While accepting the defeat in good faith, he said his side would need to go back to the training ground and prepare better. He, however, expressed disappointment that some of his players were not delivering to expectation.

Momodou Sabally the head of the two institutions said: “It was a good game and I am impressed by the talents I saw in both sides and also the determination. The game was too tough at some time and I had to talk to both sides to calm down the tempo because we don’t want to defeat the purpose by getting players on both sides injured.”

For the winning side, Sabs, who he wasn’t surprised but impressed said the work tempo at Observer is very high with the slogan “Waatoo Tijay”.

by Alieu Ceesay

A bright playing career took Omar Sise to Turkey with Besiktas, Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia as well as clubs in Switzerland and Slovenia but it was cut short at the age of 27 after a spate of injuries.

Follwing retirement, Sise took solace in coaching and having coached his own youth team in The Gambia, he pursued a B License in the profession and graduated with honours after a tedious programme with the United States Soccer Federation. But having worked as a youth team coach in the United States and the Technical Director of Rush Soccer Africa, a US based soccer franchise, Sise left his comfort zone in the Bangladeshi premier league, where he was voted Best Coach of the Year 2014, and despite the huge financial benefits to accept the challenge of The Gambia U-20 coach, something he frequently describes as his contribution to nation building.

Since guiding the Gambia U-20 Team to the finals of the WAFU Football Club in Senegal last year, which they refused to play because of the organisers’ decision to change the rules towards the end of regulation time, the Young Scorpions are on a four-game unbeaten run in international matches. They began their preparations for a place in the 2017 African Youth Championship with a 2-0 away defeat of Sierra Leone in Makeni two weeks ago aided by second half goals from Captain Ablie Jallow and Bun Sanneh.

This weekend, Omar Sise will make his debut as the U-20 Coach when the team hosts the Shooting Stars in the second and deciding leg of the preliminary qualifiers for the right to play Morocco in the next stage of the qualifiers. The last that Sierra Leone played in Banjul in this category, they were crushed 4-1 by Gambia in the 2011 qualifiers.

“I have never gone into a football match, either as a coach or player, with another intension different from winning and that is not going to start now,” the ever-confident Omar Sise told Observer Sports in an interview on Friday following his side’s 1-0 friendly win over Steve Biko at the Independence Stadium in Bakau.

“We are progressing very well and confident but we cannot be complacent so we are treating this game with the same level of seriousness as the one in Makeni and besides we want to win in front of our own fans. So we will keep working hard; the most important thing that matters is the three points and not the amount of goals we score.”

In Friday’s test game, the team played very well but was profligate in front of goal, hitting the post and the bar on a combined six occasions but as Sise attributed the wastefulness to fatigue for overworking the players as a result of club and national team commitments, he was equally confident that another cancer, lack of goals, that continually haunts Gambian football would slowly, but surely come to pass.

“Scoring goals is an old Gambian problem and we cannot change that overnight but we will get there. That is why we are playing test games and we will keep pushing hard to improve on our goals ratio.”

The match will be played on Saturday 23rd April at the Independence Stadium with kick off set for 4:30pm. Tickets are set at D100, 50 and D25.

Aurthor: Baboucarr Camara

Leicester City is going to win the English Premier League. Where once the notion sounded hopeful, vain, fanciful, now it’s almost universally accepted as a statement of fact to be.

The team many seasoned observers were picking to be relegated at the start of this season is going to win the big dance; seven points clear with 15 points, five games to play for.

Leicester and Claudio Ranieri and its fans will tell you that the club is just pleased to be in the UEFA Champions League for next season, and that, in and of itself, is both true and a staggering achievement.

But it’s got to the stage where Leicester is so nailed on for one of the greatest underdog triumphs in history that a screw-up from here would, equally, go down in history as one of the greatest of all time. It couldn’t happen, could it? Here are the reasons it might.

The injury bug bites

A standout feature of Leicester’s season? Its tremendous record at avoiding major injuries to major players, which is just as well, because it has relied heavily on a core 11 or 12 individuals through the year.

The excellent physioroom.com notes that Leicester is one of only four Premier League teams to currently have no players out with injury. Newcastle, to provide a contrast, has seven out, and Liverpool six.

Clearly, that is down to a little bit of luck but more, at this late stage of the season when fatigue will be setting in, down to an excellent team of doctors and fitness coaches.

That doesn’t mean things couldn’t go wrong. Leicester’s success has been built on the hard running of Danny Drinkwater and N’Golo Kante in midfield, with Kante a particular standout. The duo have been almost ever-present in 2015-16. Any niggle now—and it doesn’t have to be serious—could severely disrupt the balance of the team. It’s worth noting again here Leicester’s lack of squad rotation. Gokhan Inler, the likely replacement for Drinkwater and/or Kante, has only played three league games so far, two as substitute. Will he be up to speed if called upon?

Opponents with plenty to play for

This Premier League is so tight and competitive that no one, all season, has been given or will be given an easy ride. And that includes the champion-elect. Leicester entertains West Ham United on Sunday; a West Ham team out of the FA Cup and now with only the Premier League to concentrate on. Oh, and still with a decent percentage chance of finishing in the top four, potentially guaranteeing itself Champions League football next season alongside Leicester.

Swansea City, Leicester’s opponent after West Ham, is playing for pride, but Everton will hardly lie down at the tail end of a disappointing season. Leicester’s away day against Chelsea on May 15 looks horrible, even though the defending champion limped out of the title race before Christmas, as does the game away at Old Trafford on Sunday, May 1. Few teams have as much riding on the end to the season as Manchester United, with Champions League football in the balance. I make that one relatively simple game, one of middling difficulty, and three horrible ones.

The Premier League’s frankly ludicrous competitiveness means this is unlikely to be signed, sealed and delivered until the final whistle blows at Stamford Bridge in a month’s time.

Off-field distractions

The allegations of Dr. Mark Bonar, the Harley Street physician, in The Sunday Times two weeks ago, some of which were levelled against Leicester City and subsequently denied, were ones the club could have done without as it zones in on the league title.

Keeping a fatigued squad pointing in the same direction as the end of the season approaches is harder than it looks; Nigel Pearson, the club’s last manager before Ranieri, found that to his cost when embarrassing stories of Leicester youth players, including his son, James, being involved in an orgy in Thailand emerged in May of 2015.

Pearson lost his job in the aftermath, precipitating the Ranieri appointment. But it’s a reminder that the events on the pitch are only the half of keeping a football club moving towards its goal.

Statistics even themselves out

Since losing to Arsenal at Emirates Stadium on February 14, Leicester has gone unbeaten in seven games. Four of those have been one-nil victories; the only win by more than a single goal coming against Sunderland a week ago.

That is testament to a vastly improved defense. Leicester was an attacking side that leaked goals before Christmas; since then it has transitioned to a far more compact unit.

But those 1-0 wins are also indicative of fortune being on its side. How will Leicester react if refereeing decisions start to go against the club and it falls two goals behind in a game? If performances pre-Christmas can be used as evidence, pretty effectively. But it hasn’t been in that situation of needing to chase a game for a long time. Let’s see what happens if that defence suddenly springs a few leaks.

Ranieri’s ability to see the job out

Leicester’s manager has been in charge of some of Europe’s biggest clubs—Chelsea, Roma, Inter Milan, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Puteloana—but he’s never won a league title with any of them.

He’s finished runner-up in Serie A with Juventus; runner up with Roma; it’s been a distinguished career of nearlies.

Will memories of Roma’s collapse towards the end of the 2009-10 Serie A season be nurdling their way into Ranieri’s mind? If they are, he’ll be careful not to show the accompanying nerves to the players. But the fact remains: Leicester has a coach that has never won a major leaue title, finishing second four times, and that has to be a worry until it finally hauls itself over the line.

You will notice, of course, that these are all hypotheticals of varying plausibility. Leicester is going to win the league, but were two or more unhappy factors to occur at the same time… well, a spanner could hold up the procession.

Notice, too, we have not talked at all about the form of the other teams (team, really) in the title race. Tottenham Hotspur could remain hot until the end of the season, but Leicester has made itself master of its own fate. In truth, there’s very little Spurs can do to knock it off course, other than hope to cause some proxy pressure by keeping winning.

Leicester for the most unlikely triumph, then—but never say it’s over until it’s over.

BY TEDDY CUTLER

Source : Newsweek

The tenth edition of the Kombo East annual inter-village football tournament continued over the weekend with four games played in Tubakuta, Kuloro and Pirang. The tournament is organised by the Kombo East District Sports Committee.

On Thursday, Gidda Sukuta defeated Tunjina by a lone goal at the Tubakuta football ground while Ajax Academy of Jiboroh and Bonto’s game ended in a goalless draw at the Kuloro football ground on Sunday. Neigi defeated Tubakuta 1-0 while Faraba Banta drew with Pirang goalless.

Secretary of the Kombo East District Sport Committee, Lamin Singateh, called on the young people of the District to always ensure maintaining the spirit of fair play.

He also indicated that the annual tournament is organised to foster unity in the District, saying sports is one of the fastest activities that can bring young people together to walk towards their common good.

by Fatou Gassama