As talks of a reported plan to dissolve the Gambia Football Federation rages, The Standard today travelled back memory lane to catalogue the number of times government had to step in to remove the Football Association and some of the reasons explained. Over the last 40 years alone it happened 5 times.
1. In 1977 following the impasse between the Alhaji. M.C Cham committee and the breakaway committee of Lawyer Obrien Coker,after a protracted court case, The Minister Hon A.A.Njie dissolved the GFA Executive and appointed a Management Committee under the leadership of Dr. Ebrima Samba. The current Chairman of the National Sports Council, Mr George Gomez, was a nominated member of that Management Committee.
2. Again in 1988 after a poor performance of the National Team at the Guinea Bissau Zone 2 tournament, Hon. Bakary Darbo, then Vice President and Minister of Youth and Sports dissolved the Alhaji Mustapha Ngum management committee and set up a Commission of Enquiry into the management of football. Alhaji A.B.Dandeh Njie was chairman of the enquiry commission.
Elections were held after the enquiry in 1989 and Justice Ousman Sillah was appointed President of the GFA and Kebba Yorro Manneh elected Secretary General.
3. In 1993, the then Minister of Sports Hon. Buba Baldeh dissolved the Alhaji Babou Ceesay administration amidst numerous complaints and appointed an Interim Committee under Mr Njanko Tambajang. Elections were held in 1993 and Alhaji O.B Conateh was elected President of the GFA.
4. In 2012 following serious infighting and allegations and counter allegations on the Mr Seedy M.B Kinteh administration, the Hon. Minister dissolved the GFA and appointed a Normalization Committee under the Chairmanship of Alhaji O.B Conateh. Elections
