Gambia Coach Tom Saintfiet has told GFF Media he has spoken to Gambian Bundesliga player Bakery Jatta’s agent in an attempt to make him available for this month’s 2023 AFCON preliminary qualifiers against Chad.
This comes after a landmark ruling by a district court in Hamburg that dismissed the case against the Gambian, accused of identity fraud, for lack of sufficient evidence.
“I’m aware of the court’s decision and this morning I spoke to his agent [about his availability for the two games against Chad] but the invitation had to be sent earlier so I’m waiting for a call from his agent. In theory we had to do the invitation 15 days before the camp starts but hopefully tonight, I’ll know more from the agent,” Saintfiet told www.gambiaff.org yesterday.
The court said there’s no “overriding probability” that Jatta deceived about his identity after arriving in Germany in 2015, representing a major victory for the player after a painful two-and-a-half-year battle to prove his innocence when the German newspaper Bild first made the allegations in August 2019.
“The district court of Hamburg-Altona has rejected the opening of the main proceedings because, based on the available investigation results, it does not see sufficient suspicion against the accused,” a statement from the prosecutor’s office read.
As the club seeks a return to the top flight, the 23-year-old is again playing a central role in that promotion chase by playing in all of the club’s 25 matches this campaign, scoring three tim
