The Gambia Football Federation over the weekend announced that Fifa has approved its application for the appointment of a talent coach as it prepares to launch a Talent Academy under the Fifa Talent Development Scheme (TDS).
The GFF made the request to maximise the utilisation of the Fifa Global Football Development.
The man appointed is Michael Spencer, a Briton, and former academy coach at Charlton Athletics.
He arrived in the country on a 10-day “discovery visit” to gather information and hold discussions with key stakeholders he will be working with.
Coach Spencer is accompanied by the Fifa regional technical consultant Ali Mwebe of Uganda.
The Fifa team was later joined by Lyson Zulu, a high performance specialist from Zambia.
TDS is a global initiative aimed at creating high-quality academies to nurture players with potential to excel on international stage.
The Talent Academy is expected to be fully functional by May 2026 and will place The Gambia among the first 13 member associations in Caf to activate the Fifa Academy programme.


