The Gambia Football Federation (GFF) yesterday announced it has relegated one of the powerhouses of the country’s domestic women’s football, Red Scorpions, to the second division, after its players physically assaulted match officials, causing bodily harm, in a league game against Interior last week.
The decision, taken by the Organising Committee of the GFF, according to a letter addressed to the club in question and copied to Observer Sports Desk, was unanimously reached following a meeting on Wednesday.
“Given the severity of the offence, your team is hereby relegated to second tier of the national women’s league for causing bodily harm and injuries to the match officials and bringing the game into disrepute. Consequently, your team should cease to play in the ongoing women’s division one league,” a letter signed by Abdou Salaam Jammeh, the Deputy General Secretary of the GFF, stated.
“The Organising Committee has lamented the reckless and shameful behaviour of the Red Scorpions FC players against the referees on that fateful day and therefore fined your team the sum of ten thousand Dalasi in accordance with Team Misconduct; Article 29, Sub section B of the Disciplinary Code of The Gambia Football Federation.”
The letter added that the Committee has exhaustively discussed what it described as an ugly and unfortunate incident which led to the attack on the central referee Jama Njie and first assistant referee Abbie Ceesay by players of the Red Scorpions shortly after their scheduled league match against the Interior FC played at the Serrekunda East Mini-Stadium on Friday April 22, 2016.
“By a unanimous decision, the Organising Committee in compliance with Article 26 Misconduct Against Match Officials of the Disciplinary Code, Subsection B, thus, imposed 12 months ban on the following players and team officer for assaulting match officials: Fatoumata Touray No.7, Mariama Bojang No.4, Penda Colley No.2, Awa Tamba No.11, Mariama Ceesay No.22, Fatou Sanneh No.14, Aminata Camara No.12, Haddy Sanneh Trainer,” the letter added.
Consequently, Medina Njie and Ya Awa Ceesay both of Kinteh’s FC, have also been banned by the committee. In addition, Fatoumata Touray of Red Scorpion is suspended for six more matches for being the central figure in starting the fight.
“The team is therefore urged to desist from emotional and non-factual statements and we implore you and other stakeholders not to allow immature behaviour and pronouncements to cloud their judgment.”
When contacted, Chorro Mbenga, the head coach and one of the leading figures of the team said he couldn’t make any comments at the time. She claimed that they had not received their copy of the letter.
by Alieu Ceesay
