By Lamin Cham
Former Scorpions captain and defender Abdou Jammeh better known by his childhood nick name Tea- Boy. (and not T-Boy)is now the Assistant Coach of the National U-17, The Baby Scorpions.
A native of Bakau, Tea- Boy is 33, and has an enviable record of having played for all Gambia national team categories. Himself a former Under 17 player, between 2002 to 2003, Jammeh went on to play the U-20 and then the U-23 and later Olympic Scorpions in 2004.
Tea – Boy got his first call to the national team, the Scorpions in 2005 and stayed there until 2015 even becoming captain.
He retired from international duty in 2015.
At club level, Jammeh is perhaps the only Gambian who played for some ten clubs
across Europe, Asia and Africa. His first was of course Bakau’s Steve Biko from 2002-2004 before moving to Esperance Sportive De Zaris where he won an FA Cup. Tea-Boy then moved to Russia where he attracted FC Textile telecom in 2007, and then FC Torpedo in Moscow in 2008.
But Tea- Boy grabbed the headlines in a big move in 2009 when he landed at Belgian League One side SK Lierse.
The former Scorpions captain also played at Kazma Sporting Club in Kuwait, Rops FC in Finland, Al Fahaheel SC in Kuwait, Al Shamal Sports Club in Qatar and ended up his active career with PKNS Football Club in Malaysia.
Tea-Boy holds a UEFA B Licence from Finland FA’s coaching convention. He will work as assistant to Abdoulie Bojang with whom he has very close professional and personal relations since their days at Biko, and of both coming from Bakau.
“My congratulations to the little humble boy whose love for tea got his father’s friend to call him Tea-Boy,” an elderly Bakau football fan commented on hearing news of his appointment.
