Another qualifier, and the Gambia is forced to play at a neutral ground, this time at the Stade Olympique d’Ebimpe in Cote d’Ivoire. Neither the ministry nor the stadium manager is shedding lights on the state of the stadium. Jonathan even said some stadiums the scorpions played in aren’t better than the Bakau Independent Stadium. One word: just fix the stadium, and CAF will approve it.
Qualifying for the World Cup is out of reach, but in the remaining matches, Johnny should be stamping his blueprint and getting better results which will push us up from our miserable FIFA ranking. That is very crucial at this juncture. Therefore, it is not a dead rubber qualifier without us being able to learn one or two things and put ourselves in a position of a potential friendly match for opponents that are AFCON-bound.
Jonathan has given 13 players their national team debut, and that number is likely to improve. All 13 debutants were called up because of their form and consistency in their clubs. The same trend followed, with a debut call-up for GK Musa Dibaga, Saikou Touray, Alasana Yiranjang and Gibril Sillah are all named for March qualifiers. Although eyebrows and concerns were raised, particularly in the case of Sheriff Sinyan and Omar Gaye. Hadn’t been that Sheriff sustained that career-wrecking injury; he would have been a national team captain; he was among the first players called by Tom Saintfiet but was never given the opportunity to play. Bringing him back means he still has a future despite being 28 years of age. However, he must earn the trust of his coach back in Cluj and get the minutes under his belt. He might not start against Kenya and Ivory Coast but provides us the quality that we can rely on when both Saidy Janko and Noah Sonko are not frequently unavailable.
The defensive department has become a worry; however, Omar Colley is likely to partner Momodou Lion Njie, with the latter resuming play not long ago while Colley is having limited playing time at POAK. Ibou Touray, who has 25 caps for the national team, decided to focus on his club.
Opting not to be considered for a particular game is something we should discuss and not encourage. Some players are fond of it, while it has repeatedly been observed from both Ibou Touray and Ebrima Colley. Jonny might be diplomatic in handling the issue internally, but fans are getting frustrated with persistent lack of respect from Ebrima Colley. Therefore, no player should be made invincible; there are better players than Ebrima in his position, and we wish they would grab the opportunity and cement that position. Ebou Adams is a whole captain, and his club is in dire need of redemption; he could have stayed back, but he decided, as always, to fight for the colors of the national team. Abdoulie Ceesay has recently moved to St. Pauli; the FIFA window was a perfect time to stay back in Germany, but he is here with the national team. Sometimes we ask if it’s ego or lack of patriotism.
Ablie Jallow played 90 minutes for Metz against USL Dunkerque, but the Grenats said he sustained an injury, which is unfounded. If my records serve me, this is the fourth time Metz is holding Ablie Jallow for their own benefit. We know him to be fragile with injuries and Metz is yearning for promotion, but communication shouldn’t be on false pretext.
Hope for Africa
Sometimes when national teams named their squad, 3% contained players playing on the continent. Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Algeria, South Africa, and Zambia are prime examples. Almost every national team call-up Senegal does have a local player. The Gambia got a slow start; Ngine Faye represented the Gambia while playing for CasaSports, and Matar Ceesay (former Amazulu MF) was called twice but has yet to make his debut. Lamin Saidy (Real de Banjul) have been in the mix. Gibril Sillah, who is on the radar of Yanga and Simba, earned his first call-up, and it’s a signal that players playing their trade in Africa will be considered for selection, with Gambia having almost 200 professional players. Gibril reached his mark because of his form, scoring 7 goals and providing 3 assists. We are hugely disappointed not to see Alieu Jatta, who has represented the Gambia in all categories and been overlooked once again with his fine form.
