Yus,
It is rather unfortunate that the boys may never have
the chance to get the outside experience they need to face some of these soccer
giants simply because the funds are not there. The GFA (up to the end of '94)
under the leadership of O.B Conateh, Sosseh and others, have tried collectively
and personnaly to revive the talents in these young men, unfortunately, their
efforts have not been reciprocated by the government. If only the government can
see the future dividend to be earned in these young talents, they should look
into the matter with serious contention.
As far as the match-ups, I think they
have equal chance to face these giants like everyone one else, the unfortunate
thing is that they don't have the same resources as others. There is no doubt
that they can put these giants to task if all else is
there.
With that in mind, I would like to
urge every soccer enthusiast at home and abroad to support the GFA by all means
necessary to take Gambian soccer to right level.
Abdoulie A.
Jallow
"Our lives begin to
end the day we become silent about things that matter".
- Dr. M.
L. King Jr.
Abdoulie,
I find it extremely funny that our
sides seem to be constantly matched up
with the giants of Africa in
soccer terms. In the qualifying rounds of the
next WC, we happen to
be matched up with Morocco. Also, if Wallidan wins
their
preliminary round, they get to face one of the African powerhouses
in
Raja Casablanca. There is a valid reason for concern
because Raja just won
the Champion's League and will be representing
Africa against the likes of
Manchester United in the inaugural World Club
tournament, while the Moroccan
national team has been to many WCs.
This is a classic case of David against
Goliath type matchups
except that this time David has no sling..
Not to be a pessimist, but
don't be surprised if we withdraw at the last
minute due to a lack of
funds. Otherwise, be prepared for a massacre in
Rabat and
Casablanca. A massacre is inevitable for a few reasons.
First,
The Gambia simply does not invest enough money in football to
develop a
strong footballing tradition locally or in the
international arena. Also,
we did not ride or build on the momentum
that our soccer had garnered during
two specific periods during the
80s. The first opportunity to ride the crest
was during the 1980
Zone Two tournament and the second opportunity was when
we fielded
a really strong side with the likes of Bais Wadda, Aziz Corr and
Saul
Samba during the mid-80s. However, it would be unfair to blame the
GFA
or the government for the fate that has befallen our football because
there
are too many extraneous circumstances involved in this
decline. Gambian
soccer has been a victim of some
mismanagement and uncontrollable
circumstances as is the case in many
African countries.
Again, I don't intend to sound like a gloomy
pessimist because we are capable
of producing as much talent as countries
like Senegal or Liberia . All the
great names that have been
mentioned on this mailing list is a testament
to
this.
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