Confusion gripped the football fraternity yesterday after rumours spread that a process has started to dissolve or suspend the Gambia Football Federation GFF. Though very little substance was revealed by mainly cyber warriors who got on each other’s throat about the merit and demerit of such a move.
However upon investigation The Standard learnt from credible sources that there is a strong feeling at very high official quarters about the state of the GFF especially in the wake of the many petitions, criticisms and allegations from mainly regional FA officials unhappy with the conduct of their recent elections. According our sources most of those complaints about the GFF were directed at the National Sports Council whose chairman George Gomez said he never officially received any of them but will investigate every claims brought to his office.
Our sources further went on to state that The new Minister of Sports have wrongly or rightly been privately nursing a desire to probe into allegations into corruption in sports and does seem to have a sympathetic ear to critics of the GFF . Our source further revealed that the decision whether to move against the GFF based on the allegations from some stakeholders is now being debated at the highest level. The recent rumoured movement over GFF matters must have been prompted by a long and strongly worded petition addressed to the Sports Council by some members of the Gambia Football Federation claiming to represent regional football Associations, clubs and affiliate associations.
The Standard yesterday managed to lay hands on a copy of the said letter signed and sent to the National Sports Council NSC calling for investigations into the activities of the GFF.
The letter which contained a ten- point complaint was also copied to the media, the Select Committee on sports at the National Assembly, the Minister of Youth and Sports among others. In the letter, the complaining stakeholders made a number of allegations against the GFF and its leadership touching various areas. Again when The Standard contacted the National Sports Council no one was willing to say whether they received such a letter but a reliable source said the letter indeed reached both the NSC and the Ministry of Sports.
The Chairman of the NSC George Gomes had all his phones off throughout yesterday but a statement attributed to him on social media quoted him as saying the NSC has no agenda to dissolve the GFF. Another source said the main point in the complaint that seem to shake the boat is the issue of the National training center with critics expressing doubts about the official explanation of its entire cost. The Standard understood from reliable sources that some authorities seem to buy into the allegations over the center and made secret visits to the premises seemingly to satisfy themselves. The Standard yesterday attempted to get word from the GFF about the matter but the President Lamin Kaba Bajo would not pick his phone while secretary general Abass Bah and executive member Bakary Jammeh are said to have travelled.
