The Gambia Karate Federation is said to be owing the International Karate Federation (IKF) about US$46, 000 (equivalent to D1.7M), Observer Sports has gathered.
The outstanding debt is said to emanate from unpaid annual affiliation fees and unsettled bills for not attending IKF-organised events, to which the National Federation was officially invited.
Therefore the International Federation had to bill the National Federation for causing financial loss, by not notifying the international body of not attending.
In an interview with Observer Sports, Ahmed D Jack, the President of the Gambia Karate Federation confirmed: “I just received a mail of a bill from the World Karate Federation, since 1998 up to 2015, The Gambia Karate Federation owes World Karate Federation almost about US$46, 000.”
As to how his executive intends to pay this huge amount, Jack said his executive was working on how to discuss the issue with the International Federation because as he put it “the National Federation is not financially strong”.
On the challenges confronting the Association, Jack said: “We have a big problem because what we have inherited leaves much to be desired. For example from 2003 to the June 2015 [when we took over], there was only D404 in the coffers of the Karate Association. There were no books of accounts and apart from the stamps we did not receive anything from the previous executive,” he told this reporter.
by Alieu Ceesay