The football tournament of Real @ 50, a celebration of Real de Banjul Football Club’s fifty years existence, got underway on Saturday with the hosts playing an entertaining goalless draw with Olympique de Ngor in the fourth and final matches of the day at the Independence Stadium.
The celebration kicked off at 3pm with an academy football match between Real de Banjul Football Academy and Sanchaba Sulay Jobe Football Academy, with the former securing a 2-0 win.
The senior competition kicked off at 4pm when Wallidan and Guediawaye got action in Group B underway. The Senegalese side won 2-0. Ilo Ka opened the scoring after 25 minutes before Chutah Kana ensured all three points with a 51st minute effort.
In the third game of the day, Sukuta defeated Serrekunda East 2-0. The two sides had replaced Generation Foot and Horoya AC in the competition.
Speaking in an interview with Observer Sports, the president of Real de Banjul, William Abraham, expressed delight at the tournament. He described the competition as a very big tournament, noting that it is the first of its kind not only in the country but in many African countries as well.
He thanked their sponsors and the general public for the support given to them as part of their preparations. “If we do well and if the attendances are good, we hope to have such events every year because it is also good for the country. People want to watch international football and us at Real de Banjul we are working for the development of football in the country,” he said.
“At the moment a lot of clubs in Senegal are following our players but right now we are not targeting the Senegalese league as we are working on something in which the people will see few of our players leave the country but certainly not Senegal.”
by Arfang MS Camara & Fatou Trawally