By Tabora Bojang
The presidents of the seven regional football associations of the Gambia Football Federation yesterday called a press briefing to endorse the candidacy of the current executive of the Gambia Football Federation under the leadership of Lamin Kaba Bajo ahead of the election in August.
Abdou Karim Sey of West Coast, RFA president, read a lengthy statement outlining what they called positive developments in Gambian football achieved by the Kaba-led executive.
The Presidents described the Kaba executive as the ‘most committed institution for good governance, sound management and administrative practices.”
The regional authorities said the Federation has shown a high-level of transparency since assuming office by convening regular executive and general meetings to endorse the audited accounts, reports and budgets of the GFF for approvals.
The regional authorities also hailed the Executive for clearing over D 8 million debts inherited and putting the FF on a strong financial footing.
“FiFA sent external auditors to audit the GFF and the federation according to them earned A+ ranking.”
”The introduction of a term limit which was unanimously endorsed by the GFF members last year is indeed a welcomed development and milestone achievement in Gambian football and will go a long way in strengthening the democratic principles in our football and avoid self-perpetuating rule in the national game.
We cannot state all the good things that happened in Gambian football in the last four years since it cannot be quantified but we wish to reassure all stakeholders and partners that we will stay on course to enable us meet our targets of football development in the country. No amount of noise, smear campaign, threat, blackmail and sabotage will distract us. The ultimate decision rests on the bona-fide stakeholders, ” Sey said.
Asked if the current GFF which has more money than its predecessors should have done better.
Abdou Karim Sey relpied; ‘The GFF should not be doing everything in our community. This is a country and therefore the government has a stake in it. You go to Senegal and other regions, football structures are not built by federations but the governments. ”
