It has been nearly one month since Musa Sabally guided Spurs FA to their first league title at the Serekunda East nawettan. The Sukuta-born spoke to the Alkamba Times about what it means to win the trophy and his takes on the club projects. Sabally undoubtedly is regarded as one of the best coaches of his generation. Working full-time as a coach for over a decade, he spent much of his time in grassroots football. Sabally, as an ardent Chelsea fan, was inspired by Jose Mourinho as he grew into the game. The D coaching license holder followed and applied the Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp philosophy, playing possession football and balancing it with the Antonio Conte style with the lower block defensive approach.
Changing narratives and achieving greater success in the future,
Spurs FA is among the few teams to win the league trophy in their first time competing. They had a great season, from the qualifiers to league champions (P 14 W1O L2 D2 GF21 GA9). The 1-0 win over Goh Bi, courtesy of Abdoulie Darboe’s goal in the 78th minute, propelled them to laurels.
“I felt happy because I was so desperate for this victory, not for myself but for this young team. It’s our first silverware. I am relieved; I have played (2) finals, knockout finals in Sukuta, and a playoff against Wagadu and lost both. Neutrals keep saying the team is good and the coach is equally good, but they have a jinx of not winning finals. The team is tactically good, plays beautiful football, is hardworking, and pushes daily. We believe that with a trophy, they will be motivated and believe in the process, making our work easier in other areas and developing them further. They have paid so much attention to the noise from outside, which impacted them, and with the triumph, that distraction is gone. I am equally happy to etch my name in Serekunda East records, from the qualifiers to league champions,” he remarked.
Third division and beyond…
Will it be Musa Sabally’s third lucky time in his quest to qualify for the second division? His first shot was at the Pirates of Bakoteh; after winning his first five games, they were later appealed against and lost their spot in the playoffs. This second try was at LRR with Sateba, where they went close to 15 games unbeaten only to lose to Wagadu, scoring 36 goals and only conceding three goals.
“The team plans and targets is third division playoff spot. Nawettan is the foundation of a team to be solid and exposed, but it’s not a competition where we want to stay long. The club aims to be a top club in the country even if we don’t reach the top flight. We want to be at the top of the list by producing and marketing top players; we see ourselves as Gambinos. Our project includes having our own space to build a school, train, and teach football.” Sabally emphasized
The rise of Spurs FA has seen Spurs produce three players to the first division, with Ousainou Jaguraga among the top scorers last season with Team Rhino—Lamin Kanteh (Falcons) Sulayman Joof waa Banjul.
