By Madi Jobarteh
EFSCRJ
It is now more than 72 hours since GFF inaugurated a so-called stadium in Nyakoi where it is reported that 14 million dalasi was spent.
What has been publicly shown appears to be a football pitch, a modest structure reportedly serving as dressing rooms and offices, squat toilets, and a wired perimetre fence.
The surrounding grounds are neither paved, tiled nor landscaped. There are no walkways, no structured seating areas, and no basic beautification such as trees or greenery. Beyond the pitch and perimeter fence, the facility visibly lacks essential stadium features including spectator pavilions, proper stands, scoreboards, lighting infrastructure, and other minimum amenities expected of even a modest community stadium.
If this constitutes a D14million stadium, then citizens are justified in asking a simple question: Where did the money go?
The issue is not whether Nyakoi deserves a football facility. It absolutely does. Rural communities deserve quality sporting infrastructure. Youth development requires investment. Football can unify, discipline, and inspire. The problem is not the project’s existence, rather it is the glaring question of proportionality, transparency, and value for money.
For example, how much money was allocated and what or who was the source, what are the project specifications, what was the bill of qualities, who was the contractor, was there an open bidding, and who certified the work was complete? Does the cost of this project reflect value for money? These are transparency and accountability questions that require answers from GFF.
The Gambia Football Federation cannot hide behind autonomy. While FIFA protects federations from political interference, autonomy does not mean financial opacity. International football governance frameworks emphasise accountability, auditing, and stakeholder transparency. Shielding football administration from government interference does not shield it from public scrutiny. The Ministry, NSC, NYC and citizens are the stakeholders and they deserve transparency.
Therefore, equally troubling is the silence from the Ministry of Youth and Sports. The Ministry is the state authority responsible for sports development in this country. It cannot plausibly claim ignorance of a multi-million-dalasi project. Even if the funds originated from external sources, the government retains a duty to ensure that public infrastructure within its jurisdiction meets acceptable standards and reflects prudent financial management.
The National Sports Council and the National Youth Council also have clear oversight roles in ensuring that facilities built in the name of youth and sport meet acceptable standards. Their continued silence only deepens public suspicion. Why therefore has the leadership of both agencies remained silent?
Fourteen million dalasi is not symbolic money. In a country struggling with youth unemployment, limited sporting facilities, and constrained public resources, every dalasi must count. If this project represents value for money, then there should be no hesitation in publishing the procurement documents, engineering assessments, and financial breakdowns. Transparency protects institutions. Silence breeds suspicion.
This is not about attacking football administrators. It is about defending institutional integrity. Transparency would end the controversy immediately. Publish the contract. Publish the budget. Publish the supervision reports. Let independent engineers assess whether the structure reflects the expenditure.
Gambians are not beggars to whom anything can be presented and declared sufficient. They are rights-bearing citizens entitled to quality infrastructure and responsible stewardship of resources, whether those resources originate from taxpayers, donors, or international federations.
If those entrusted with youth and sports development believe the Nyakoi project reflects D14 million in value, they owe the nation a clear, documented explanation. Failure to provide one is not merely administrative negligence. It is a dereliction of duty to the very youth in whose name this project was executed, hence a gross betrayal of the country and its youths.
Until then, questions will persist and rightly so.
