Ahead of Caf inspection
By Lamin Cham
Gambian football fans were driven into ecstasy yesterday when news broke that the Independence Stadium has been scheduled to host the country’s next Afcon qualifier, the first official international match here in over five years.
Caf disapproved the country’s only stadium from hosting international matches, one among many across the continent forcing affected nations to play to play home matches away.
Except in a few cases, the Gambia played most of such matches in Morrocco, amid massive pressure and criticisms from the public on the government to fix the stadium.
The government responded with a massive investment that now made the national football federation GFF confident to ask Caf to schedule the next home match, against Comoros, in Banjul.
Football House sent videos and pictures of the new face of the facility and yesterday the continental football body released it schedule of venues granting a provisional okay to The Independence Stadium subject to confirmation by an inspection team. The news sent fans into the moon with many taking to social media to vent the reminder of their spleen on government and the GFF and to thank them for finally getting it right.
However, Lamin Jassey, General Secretary of the GFF, said while there is a very high hope and every probability that the match in questioned would be played in Banjul on November 15, the final decision would be made only after a Caf inspection is conducted at the stadium. “This will be done well before the date scheduled for the match and the public would be updated,” Jassey said. The SG said news of the scheduling of the match in Banjul is welcome and thanked the government for the efforts done to get the facility to this stage. He however cautioned that the nation should be patient and wait in high hopes for the verdict of the Caf inspection team due in Banjul soon.
