As The Gambia begins its bid to qualify for a third African Youth Champions (AYC) in 2017, the National U-20 Team will start its march for a place at the Zambia event with a double legged preliminary qualifier against Sierra Leone on Saturday.
Omar Sise’s charges will play the first leg in Makeni, with the return leg in Banjul three weeks later on April 23. The winner over the two legs would play Morocco in the second round for a place in the third and final round of qualifiers.
The team is dubbed the future of Gambian football and with the Scorpions all but out of contention for a place in the 2017 Afcon, all hopes lie on them.
The squad, made up of 20 players, left Banjul in the early hours of Wednesday morning and had a night stop in Casablanca, Morocco, where they were expected to board a flight destined for Sierra Leone this morning.
“The boys are in good shape and doing well. We are now preparing to go for our dinner,” Sise told Observer Sports yesterday evening from Cassablanca.
About Makeni
Makeni is the fourth largest city in Sierra Leone (after Freetown, Bo and Kenema) and the largest city and economic center of the Northern Province. Makeni is the capital and administrative center of Bombali District. The city lies approximately 137 kilometers (85 miles) east of Freetown. Makeni is a major commercial, educational, transportational and economic center. The city had a population of 80,840 in the 2004 census and a current estimate of 112,489
by Alieu Ceesay
