By: Sandally Sawo
The Scorpions could repeat history by cementing a place in the Africa Cup of Nations for the second time.
The Gambia is just a point shy of assuring its place again in the continental soccer jamboree after a scintillating performance in last year’s tournament.
The country’s dream of participating in the 2023 Cup of Nations will be realized if it avoids a defeat in its Congo Brazzaville match this Sunday in Marrakesh, Morocco.
The Gambia defeated Mali and South Sudan in their qualifying campaign and they are now comfortably seated second behind The Eagles with nine points.
The ongoing renovations at the Independence Stadium will prevent adoring Scorpion fans from watching their team on home turf.
The 23-man playing squad announced by the Head Coach as well as the non-playing staff, including the technical team and media, are scheduled to converge in Marrakech from Monday 4th September 2023 for a training camp to begin the technical preparation before the match that is scheduled at the Stade de Marrakech on Sunday 10th September at 19:00 GMT, GFF announced on its website.
“From the purchase of flight tickets for the entire delegation, paying for the accommodation of the team at the luxurious Adam Park Hotel (this is not free for our competitive matches), and players allowances as well as match bonuses, this requires a heavy financial outlay,” the federation stated.
“Against this backdrop, The Gambia Football Federation (GFF) sent a budget of D21.2 million to the Government of The Gambia, the Ministry of Youth & Sports (MOYS) to be precise. The Ministry promised to pay D11 million out of which it has already paid D9.7 million to the GFF account. The Federation also contributed D7.6 million towards the amount and thus there is a budget deficit of D2.6million that is yet to be realised.
“Consequently, the GFF urge every Gambian to support the team to secure the desired result against Congo to ensure that we qualify for the African Cup of Nations for the second time.”