By Aja Beyai
At his peak, Omar Jallow was the captain leading his community to history. Today, he’s fighting a different battle one against his own knee, against doubt, and against the clock.
Most fans know him as Candreva or Bruno. But to Cambell Town and the Kanifing Municipality, he was the armband wearing leader who helped drag a community side from Nawettan football to the GFF 2nd Division.
“I started my footballing career from a very young age,” Jallow says. His first football home was Nancy Football Academy in Latrikunda then known as “Serrekunda West Ostern” under Coach Assana. “I learned a lot from him and grew better as a player from all the years I was there.”
After his academy years, Jallow moved to Nawettan football, representing his community team Cambell Town for seven years. During that run, he also wore the colours of the divisional team in the Regional 3rd Division League.
The 2022/23 season was the breakthrough. As captain, he led the team to the Kanifing Municipality Regional Football Association (KMRFA) title. Then came the playoffs for a spot in the 2nd Division.
“We were able to finish top of the playoffs mini league and earned our promotion to the GFF 2nd Division proper in 2022/23,” he recalls.
The following year, Cambell Town stepped onto the national stage. “We represented our community in the 2nd Division and competed very well against the already established teams there.”
It was a tough campaign. They didn’t secure enough points to avoid the drop and were sent to the relegation playoffs. There, they faced Football Heroes, the then-regional champions. Jallow’s side won and retained their 2nd Division status.
Then the knee gave out
But victory came at a cost. “After the completion of that season, I was struggling with a knee injury that I was playing with mostly in the second part of the season,” Jallow says. “It became worse after the end of that season… it kept me out from playing from then on.”
The timing was cruel. “The injury forced me to take a break when I thought I was at the top of my game, which was really harsh on me.”
He’s tried to come back. “I’ve done a lot to be back playing again but it seems it’s still not enough because I’m still struggling.”
The injury lingers beyond the physical. “I’ll say it still affects my performance because I still have bad memories about it and I’m still trying to work on my confidence back on.”
Jallow’s story lays bare a reality for many Gambian footballers: when injury hits, you’re often on your own.
“Financially it has been tough,” he admits. His team paid for an MRI test on his knee and gave him a “small token to take care of myself but that wasn’t enough at all… apart from that, I took care of myself solely.”
He spent six weeks in rehabilitation with physiotherapist T Sarjo at Westfield Clinic. “I wish I had the finances to help fasten my recovery… I had to go through thick and thin just to provide for my treatment because my team was not strong enough to help with my treatment.”
His advice to other players is blunt: “I would advise the same players or people having similar injuries to take responsibility of their injuries and find solutions for them… Teams here don’t have the time or resources to take good proper care of you or your injuries… As long as you’re in the game, be prepared for everything that comes your way.”
Despite the setback, Jallow insists his mental health held firm. “I know I am a strong character and I always fight any situation no matter what the conditions are. I stayed positive throughout the most painful days of my footballing career.”
He credits his circle: “I was surrounded by a lot of positive people especially my closest friends that kept me believing that I can overcome the situation no matter how hard it gets.”
On the financial side, he pivoted. “I can’t say it affected my financial stability or income, but at least I was able to engage myself in other things apart from football that helped me do a lot of things on my own.”
The Comeback: ‘It Was Like the World Was Coming Down on Me’
Jallow isn’t retired. And now, after nearly two years out, the comeback has started.
“After two games since my return, the moment that will stay with me forever was my comeback moment against Marimoo Packfood,” he says. “It was like the world was coming down on me… I missed those moments so very badly that I wish I could have never left. It was a proud moment for myself knowing what I went through to be back playing again.”
The road back is measured. “My confidence level is still on the rise… I’m still not yet at the levels I want to be but hopefully soon. It’s good that I’m getting in and around the team and gathering more minutes and physicality. But I hope to get at good levels before the end of the season In sha Allah.”
The mental scars remain. “I am playing more cautious than before. It’s not easy to get the trauma of the injury out of my mindset because of what I went through. But I’m building up my mental capacity and strength and hope I come over it soon.”
His targets are simple, personal. “My aims are to get back to my personal self… to get back to the player I once knew myself to be and to gather as much minutes as possible before the end of the round.”
And he’s using his story to challenge the system. “Players’ welfare is as important as the prize monies teams win when they are crowned champions. It’s important that teams take responsibility for their players and make sure that they are in good shape to represent them. Because one player sold can accommodate a lot for the teams and surely put the team in a better place. So teams should respect the players and help them out in whatever way they can.”
For now, the goal is durability. “I’m just proposing to end the season well with injury free and no setbacks In sha Allah. I just hope Allah protects and guides me throughout and hopefully the best is yet to come.”
‘There Is Light at the End of the Tunnel’
Jallow knows what the injury cost him. “My knee injury did cause setbacks in my career because I had good intentions to give it my all in games and training and to see myself at the very top… But man proposes and Allah decides… so I take it in good faith.”
For players facing the same dark road, his message is clear: “Let us take our injuries serious and personal. Do the necessary treatments and never rush your injuries… There is still more time to get yourself back on track and enjoying doing what you love the most.”
“It shows that with hard work, belief, sacrifices and trust you can overcome anything,” he adds. “What I went through for almost 2 years of my career at a standstill, I hope no one comes near that. It’s challenging, lonely and frustrating. Being deprived of what you love the most is one of the hardest things one can face. But Alhamdulillah after all the effort I made and the fortune I spent, I guess I’m in a good place at this moment in time.”
Candreva isn’t fully back to the player he was. But he’s back on the pitch. And in Gambian football, where injuries end careers in silence, that’s a fight worth telling.
