By Lamin Fadera
Following his side’s defeat on Sunday, 64 sets to 63 in the hands of knockout Champions Serekunda West Male Basketball team, Coach Foday Singhateh of the YMCA blames the referee for favoring their opponent Serekunda West team.
Mr. Singhateh said his team trained hard the entire week while blaming the referee for spoiling their game. He urges the Gambia Basketball Association to take a step to remedy the referring problems the league is faced with.
“We are not disappointed because everybody has seen our work here. You know it is challenging; you train the whole week, and only one person ruins our game. Every time one single referee ruins the whole thing, it isn’t enjoyable, and this is not taking Gambia basketball forward.
Please let us talk to the referee, we don’t like to complain, but you must be consistent. The second referee gave a decision, and he ran away and overruled the second referee’s decision. We cannot understand that.
They scored a basket, which the referee said was a basket, but the guy sitting at the table said the time was finished, but the referee insisted that is a basket. Now Serekunda West won a with one goal difference because of the referee’s error we lost,” Singhateh told the Alkamba Time Sports.
The league winner, Coach Singhateh, further stated that YMCA is unfairly treated compared to Serekunda West.
He urged the Gambia Basketball Association to find a solution to the refereeing problems claiming that: ‘ so many clubs complain about the issue of the same referee and even wrote a letter to the GBA, but nothing is done about it.’
The 1st vice president of the GBA, Ndongo Camara, hails the teams for participating in another successful season. Camara quickly rebuffed claims of the referee’s biases in the season.
“For us, at the GBA, we believe our referees are here for everyone, and they are competent; you know it is not easy when a team loses, they will always give excuses, but that is normal in sports. We must congratulate the winner and say hard luck to the runners,” Camara told Alkamba Times.
Ndongo Camara said the GBA is yet to receive any formal complaint regarding the issues of the referee. ” every year, their referees will do their work to the best of their abilities,” he added.
Elsewhere in the women’s knockout final, Serekunda West is crown champions following a two-legged win over Kotu Blue Ninjas. In the first game last Friday, West won by 53 sets to 50, while in the second game on Sunday, West won by 61 to 58.
