GAM FOOTBALL NEWS:
Arguably The Gambia’s all-time best player, Alhagi Momodou Biri Njie, known as Biri Biri, has been drafted into the 2018 WAFU Cup final against hosts Liberia this afternoon, Saturday 5th May at the Samuel K Doe Sports Centre in the Liberian Capital Monrovia.
Biri who became the first Gambian to play professional football in Europe back in the 70s for Danish side, B1901 and Sevilla FC in Spain, where he still holds a cult hero status, travelled alongside the Gambia Football Federation’s President, Mr Lamin Kabba Bajo to witness the eight team cup final in Paynesville, Monrovia, as a special guest of the Federation, but also for his legendary status as the Gambia’s all time best footballer, which the adminstrators hope can inspire the young side into rewriting history by winning the competition organised by the West African Football Union for the first time.
The Young Scorpions will face Liberia this afternoon after overcoming the young Elephants of Ivory Coast in the semi-final last Wednesday. The team, who are yet to lose a game in the competition this time around, surprised everyone with their performance, especially in the defence, where they have kept two cleansheets and overall conceded only two goals so far and this has triggered a renewed interest in the tournament and of course the team and the country’s football, which after a series of futile efforts to gain any meaningful achievement in the game, has lost its support base among the country’s football loving followers.
In the wake of the remarkable achievements on Wednesday, the Secretary General of the Football Federation, Mr lamin jassey through his Facebook live podcast, congratulated the team and the management for what he described as an ‘achievement beyond expectations’. And Jassey also informed his viewers about the Federations plans in conjunction with the Scorpions fans club to welcome the team back on home soil on Sunday 6th May at the Banjul International Airport in Yundum, and this he said, will go ahead regardless of the result in final on Saturday evening. He called on all fans to attend this welcoming parade, which he said shall proceed to the GFF secretariat in Kanifing.
The team’s performance in this tournament deserves all the recognition that’s coming their way, and it’s a great vindication of their preparations ahead of the tournament, which began back in December last year following the appointment of the new coach Matarr A Mboge, who upon his appointment, invited 25 players to hold regular training regime at the National TechnicalTraining Centre in the Goal project in Yundum. It also showed that a good preparation and training drills are a key part of the modern game. It boosts understanding among players, helps drill a style of play into the team and improves the players technical and tactical nous of the game.
And it will be a remarkable feat if they can make all their earnest efforts count by beating Liberia, who will be buoyed by their home support, to the trophy. Liberia, who had the worst possible start to the competition two weeks ago, when they were battered 3-0 in front of their own fans including the country’s president and former world footballer of the year, George Manneh Weah, who has since donated a reported ten thousand dollars to the team after winning their second game against Guinea Bissau. And that generosity seemed to have motivated the players, who went on to ensure qualification to the semis by also beating neighbours Seirra Leone to face Mali in the semi final, whom they beat 1- 0.
That win was a historical moment for the junior Lone stars and many Liberians who watched any of their national team reach the final of an international competition for the first time in 32 years.
However, now they have the daunting task to see off a Gambian team truly in great form.
The game will kick off at 6pm local time at the SKD stadium.
