As The Gambia’s epic AFCON 2017 qualifying match against Mauritania looms ahead, preparations have began in earnest with the home base national squad members as the newly appointed team coach Sang Ndong scour the surface to embed his team.
The squad which includes some of the country’s best young players playing in the local first division (Division one) are holding regular training sessions with new coaching staffs and on Wednesday 2nd March, 2016 the team took part in a friendly football match against the Division one league leaders Ports Authority with the Scorpions winning 3-2. A brace from Emil Sambou of The Gambia Armed Force’s team and that of Real De Banjul’s Ebou Kanteh secured the victory for Sang’s team.
After the warm up game the new Scorpion’s coach expressed his delight about his team’s preparations so far, saying ” the boys are hungry and ready to prove themselves”.
The Scorpions will be travelling to Nouakchott in three weeks times on the 25th March 2016 to resume their faltering African Cup of Nations qualifying campaign in two legged tie against the Les Mourabitones of Mauritania, with the second to come four days later in Banjul on the 29th March .
The Gambia are currently sitting third in group M with only a point to show for the two games played so far. They started the campaign well with a hard earned goalless draw against the Bafana Bafana of South Africa in June last year, which was later followed by a 1-0 lost at home to the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon, who are currently leading the group with 6 points. Mauritania sits in second with 3 points whilst South Africa are level with The Gambia, both on 1 point, but they sit in fourth having conceded more goals. The Scorpions will play their last two games in the summer against South Africa in June and Cameroun in September, 2016.
Sang Ndong’s team will have to get maximum points from the two successive games against Mauritania to stand any chance of qualifying for a first appearance in the continent’s biggest football fiesta. The two teams had previously played in a friendly match last March, which the scorpions won 1-0 under the then caretaker coach Peter Bonu Johnson.
U20 NATIONAL TEAM
Meanwhile, The GFF have confirmed through their Facebook page that the U-20 national team are also on training with Head Coach Omar Ceesay ahead of their preliminary qualifier with Sierra Leone for the CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Zambia, 2017,
The Young Scorpions played were also involved in a friendly warm up match beating Brikama United 1-0 on Wednesday evening at the Independence Stadium ahead the encounter with the West African counterparts, Sierra Leone in Freetown on April 2nd.
