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