By: Baboucarr Fallaboweh
President Arthur Ashcroft replaced the entire technical team, including coach Kebba Drammeh with Amat Cham with just five games. The ferry boys have an average of one point per game as relegation looms for the capital team for the second time in their history.
Many believe that the institutional clubs are losing their financial muscles and are not adequately run as functional modern clubs. Teams are given to the longest-serving staff members who commit little to football. These clubs used to exchange the league & FA cup trophies, but those glory days have abandoned them.
In January, the ferry boys boycotted training, indicating that the writing was on the wall. Many see the president’s move as a witch hunt and undermining. There is no motivation coming from the board to the players. Training materials were nonexistent; salaries were all lacking. Matchday transportation becomes a hiccup when BK Milan, Gunjur, Fortune FC, Real De Banjul, and Brikama Utd boost of their buses and minibusses.
Ports beat Real de Banjul 3-0 last season, and the reversed fixture this season saw the whites having a 6-1 win which was the Port’s worst defeat in their history.
Bubacarr Sonko, Abubacarr Touray, and Ansumana Kujabi are a few senior players who joined them during the window and left even before they were noticed. It was all based on the team’s condition; they couldn’t see the beauty and gold that they assumed the Ports Authority had because the team didn’t meet their expectations and departed.
Ports, who are winless in their last five games, registered 7 draws and 12 defeats.
Despite losing some key players, the club’s ambition, which forced them to build this season with a mixture of youth and experienced players, was to finish within the top five. In addition, the Ferry boys wanted to compete and battle for the league trophy next season.
The institutional teams like Gamtel Armed Forces were all dragged into relegation this season, and change of coaches and deep financial struggles affected the one-time Gambian powerhouses. However, with what is happening at Ports, it won’t be long to see the black smoke at Gamtel and Armed Forces.
