By: Ebrima K.B. Sonko
The Gambia’s coach Tom Sainfiet has revealed that the Gambia U-20 captain guided the Young Scorpions to a silver medal in the Egypt 2023 TotalEnergies Africa Cup Of Nations U-20. He is his 30-man provisional squad for the Africa Cup of Nations double-legged tie with Mali.
Tom Saintfiet said the 20-year-old AC Horsens defender Alagie Saine’s blistering performance caught his eye but reckoned the competition for a place in the final squad will be challenging for the young defenders due to the array of stat defenders he has under his disposal.
“I saw Alagie for 4/5 years, and he impressed me a lot; he is a leader and a good defender. I can tell you that he is on the list of 30 we invited two weeks ago! His competition to play is tough with captain Omar Colley, James Gomez, and Noah Sonko, but he will get his chances when the opportunity arises,” Tom Saintfiet said.
Tom Saintfiet also praises the Gambia Young Scorpions following their impressive performance in the Egpty CAF Youth AFCON.
Coach Abdoulie Bojang’s charges eventually lost 2-0 against Senegal in the final. However, the Belgian coach commended the Young Scorpions for the beautiful display that earned them a place in the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
“They did a fantastic job; we can be proud of the coach, his staff, and the team but also the federation, so much criticized but they are always writing history time after time, in 2021 3rd now 2nd at Afcon u20. The whole GFF does a tremendous job, including clubs and academies who always deliver new talents,” Tom Sainfiet said.
