BY: Omar Jatta

What do you do when something happens to you that you didn’t expect? Do you get upset, furious, and irritated that “something” has happened to you or try to figure out the reason why it happened and let go knowing that it happened because it was supposed to?

Now let’s put the result of the game Mauritania on the side, if not on the back burner. If the call for a new day in Gambian football is anything to be heeded, then everyone, from players, authorities and above all the fans must remain optimistic, but most importantly, realistic. To remain objective in our expectations and not to lose sight of what can and cannot be achieved within our means deposited to us in our ‘rebuilding and rebranding’ programme.

As I surfed through the Web and social platforms, it has become apparent that Gambian fans have for so long craved for some sort of success in the game they so love, and because of the so many failings, have all become disillusioned and impatient. Which has not being helped by the fact that some of the countries whom The Gambia had in the past shared level fields with have all moved a step or two ahead of them to achieving footballing recognition and glories – the former Zone II nations, the likes of the two Guineas, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Cape Verde, Mali and now Mauritania have all taken giant strides towards footballing endorsements on the highest platforms.

The victory from Mauritania last night has propelled the last of the zone II siblings if you like, on course to flying the nest, on the verge of making that craved African Cup of Nations appearance in the expense of our beloved Scorpions, which, touch wood can only compound our miseries.

In the midst of all this hopelessness, one must ask how did it got to this, while we slide down on the greasy pole, our confederates have mastered the trick to ascend the pole. In barely a decade ago teams like Cape Verde were below the Gambia in the football ranking order, both in the continent and globally, but in barely ten years on they have not only become part of the elite teams in the continent, but also became the top team in the continent, ranked the number one African team for the March 2016 FIFA ranking, ahead of the Ivory Coast. Cape Verde’s recent rise on the football ladder has ruffled most Gambian fans in the wrong way, struggling to understand how a small Island country three times less than our population can become such a footballing power house whilst we talk about ‘rebuilding and rebranding’.

Well it’s a question that all those concerned with Gambian football must ask themselves. However whether we got the answers or not we got treat this one with objectivity.

Before last night’s game, The Gambia have won most of the head-to-heads with Mauritania, infact 8 out 18 games  to be precise since 1979, have drawn six and lost only 4 times. The Mourabitounes have not won a game against the Scorpions since 1995, so you will be excused as a Gambian fan to be disappointed with the latest result. However, it has to be said other than the first half performance and the moment of madness that gave Khalil Bessam his second goal of the game in the 96th minute, there wasn’t much to suggest that Mauritania have moved ahead of The Gambia on the football ladder.

They were the better side in the first half and deservedly took the lead in the 37th minute through Cheikh El Khalil Moulaye Ahmed known as Khalil Bessam. A defence splitting pass from the dangerous Babacar Baguili, who caused a lot of problems all evening for the uncertain Scorpion defence with his clever runs and trickery, found Bessam, who was on the blind side of The Gambian right back Kebba Ceesay while cutting in from the left flank. Ceesay was late to track his run into box as he went round the diving Gambian goalkeeper to calmly slot home the opener. A deserved goal and by that time the Scorpions could count themselves to be lucky not to be even further behind as they struggled for composure through out the opening exchanges particularly in the defending third, and the goalkeeper, Alhaji Jobe was guilty of so many erratic flaps at the ball as he came out for a number of crosses at the edge of his six yard line without getting anything on the ball, in the end mostly finding himself wanting in no man’s land.

The half time whistle could not have come any sooner for Sang Ndong and his men. At least a chance for him to show The passionate but impatient Gambian fans and insight into his widely acclaimed tactical proficiency. And it has to be said, give credit where it’s due, whatever he had done or said in the dressing room at the half time fell on the right ears and worked to his and the team’s advantage.

They came out with more verve and precision. They looked sharper and more organised and the marauding run down the left from Mustapha Carayol in the 59th minute which led to the equaliser for the Scorpions can confirm that. It was a thing of beauty and had it been from Barcelona’s little Messiah, Messi, it would’ve been the talk of most footballing media outlets. The pace, control and the agility he exhibited in dancing past the helpless Mauritanian defence from the edge of his own half took everyone by surprise including the Leeds United forward, and his cool finish into the bottom left corner of the Mauritanian goal was an equal beauty that left the entire Olympic stadium shell-shocked, and sent the Gambian fans home and abroad into euphoria, restoring the belief that had so quickly evaporated no sooner than the first ball was kicked.

At that point the caution Sang Ndong’s counterpart in the Mauritanian dugout, French coach Corentin Martins had preached in his pre-match interview stood to be vindicated . All of a sudden the Scorpions regained some self belief, got more composed on the ball, thrusting an opportunity for the likes of The Gambia’s main man, Swansea City’s Modou Barrow to show the Mourabitounes what the brouhaha about him was all about. His pace-injected cutting run inside from the left suddenly sent the jaded Mauritanian defence into panic and their frantic efforts to stop him brought him down outside the edge of the box, but the Liberian referee waved play on to allow the advantage when the ball found Pa Amat Dibba on the edge of the box, who miscued his shot to let the Mauritanians off the hook.

For the most part of the next half hour, both teams huffed and puffed around each others final third but without much trouble. However, like I forementioned, there are somethings, or moments in life that leaves one shell-shocked and dumbfounded, that hand-on-cheek moments – when you have no other explanation other than to accept whatever happened as something that was meant to happen or not to happen.

The Gambia were cruising comfortably, on course to securing another hard earned draw against a team they could overtake by beating them at home in four days time to possibly move to second on the table in group M, ofcourse that was dependent on the results in the South Africa, Cameroon encounters.

For a start it’s hard to understand why the game was still on after 95 minutes of play, in a game which had very minimal stoppages, but unconfirmed reports are that the fourth official did not notify the referee as to how many more injury minutes he had to play, so he carried on for another seven minutes after the mandatory 90.  But in all honesty that sounds more bizarre than what was to follow when an inexplicable moment of madness took over, at a time when fatigue can cause concentration levels drop especially under the scorching heat of the desert nation. The Gambia’s substitute midfielder Muhammed Conteh bizarrely decided to be cheeky with the ball by trying to dribble just outside the Gambia’s penalty area, got charged down by the Mauritanian players and he then lost the ball to the brilliant Babacar Baguili, who again played an excellent pass to into the path of Khalil Bessam, who had been receiving treatment on a stretched tigh muscle moments earlier, the Constantinois forward was an epitome of calmness under pressure from the charging Gambian goalkeeper, Alhaji Jobe and his desperate defenders to cheekily chip the Ball over Jobe into the net for his and Mauritania’s second goal of the night.

It was hard to take and even harder to understand, not even by the dejected Sang Ndong who looked equally bemused on the touch-line as anyone. And like any manager, probably questioning his decision to bring on Conteh for the injured Modou Barrow who had a knock earlier. And The Gambian coach could not disguise his disappointment in his post-match interview with the reporters from the Gambia’s Daily Observer newspaper.

“The late goal was really dissapointing for the coach. It is the worst way to lose a game and it is very difficult and painful. It is difficult to accept but we have to and move on,” said the former Hawks coach.

Even the players were equally disappointed and the team captain of the night Omar Colley also told the reporters:

“We neither came here for a draw nor to lose because we know how crucial our group is. We came here for the three points.”

But, despite the disappoiment what else could Sang Ndong have done. Well he has done what was expected of him in the first instance, considering all the circumstances he had picked the team, set them up in a formation he believed could earn his them the required results. For a good part of the first 45 minutes that didn’t work and the team were found wanting and desperate atimes, but with luck on their side they did their best to stay in the game going into the half time break. Whatever he had said or done in the dressing room at half-time inspired the them to get back into the game and went searching for a winner, and on another day could have sealed it before that moment of madness.

He made the right call to take Modou Barrow out for Conteh, to get him on the treatment table ahead of Tuesday’s game and at 1-1, what a good idea that proved to be. Okay the substitute let him and the team down and probably himself when he decided to dribble his way out in a dangerous area rather than taking an old fashion route one punt at the ball. But in all fairness Sang cannot held responsible for that.

As the coach he can be held responsible for the tactics, personnel decisions, and for the shape and the way his side plays football, as his job involves deciding the system, choosing current players, deciding strategy for each match. He may take help from mainly his assistant for this resposibilities but the final decision is his and if that goes wrong, he faces the wrath. But what happened with that last minute equaliser was nothing tactical, may be a personel decision but i believe it was more down to laspse in concentration than ability in both Conteh and Sang’s defense.

If anything Sang deserves credit, rather than criticism. And may be deserves the patience of fans and the authorities. He needs to be given time in order build the team and get them to adapt and apply his ideas.

In life we all want to have control but the reality is it’s nearly impossible to control the outcome of what happens when you pick your moment and something out of the ordinary took over to leave the outcome as unpredictable as the day. Unfortunately football is not a very forgiving terrain, as it is an emotionally charged sport attached to results, where the outcomes can only be on one of two ends of the spectrum – extremely excited or extremely disappointed. unfortunately, today we are all disappointed, but let’s Cameroon can do us a favour by beating South Africa on Saturday and the Scorpions can take advantage of the home support on Tuesday to reassert themselves in the pursuit of rubbing shoulders with the elites in the game.

On that note I quote the author and publisher of The Daily Motivator, Ralph Marston, who says:

“If you so choose, even the unexpected setbacks can bring new and positive possibilities. If you so choose, you can find value and fulfillment in every circumstance.”

So for all those involved, either fans or the authorities – time, affection and patience is what is needed in this critical but crucial time of the ‘rebuilding and rebranding’ of our national team and football, so let’s be patient.

The Gambia’s line-up:

Goalkeeper: Alhagie Jobe,

Defenders: Omar Colley, Kebba, Ibou Touray, Gregory Sambou Kebba Ceesay.

Midfield: Hamza Barry, Demba Savage, Kaba Sambou.

Forward: Pa Amat Dibba, Mustapaha Carayol, Modou Barrow.

Substitutes: Christopher Allen, Alieu Jatta, Mass Manga, Muhammed Conteh, Omar Jagne, Emil Sambou.

Edited and published By: Omar jatta