There is a frantic air of excitement across the border as Gambians started trooping to Senegal to cheer the national team in Thies tomorrow where the team will play South Sudan in the journey to qualify for a second Afcon appearance.
The match kicks off there at 4 PM with both teams strangers in the town after CAF banned elite matches in The Gambia for lack of a standard facility.
The fans though are undeterred with many having booked places in special couriers deployed by the public transport company GTSC while others chose to travel by commercial vehicles offering a return trip package.” I am going with all my colleagues for a weekend in Thies. Our boss paid for us. South Sudan is relatively easy compared to others in the group like Mali and Congo. We must go and support the boys to pick the first three points . It is very important,” a staff member of a hospitality company told The Standard yesterday morning.
The GSM company Africell too has announced it will take almost a thousand fans to Thies while private businessmen advertise packages for a weekend in Thies . The Gambia Transport Union said it will encourage its members to focus on the Senegal route this weekend.
Meanwhile, The Gambia Football Federation (GFF) has announced it has decided to bank roll logistics for a large number of the official Scorpions fans club to go to Thies.
“In our quest to ensure that our players do not feel the absence of the officially registered fans of the Scorpions, Football House this week disbursed D200,000:00 for the operational expenses of the Scorpions Fans Clubs’ participation in this Saturday’s AFCON qualifiers against South Sudan in Thies, Senegal. This is also in recognition of the fans’ long standing partnership, support and solidarity with the GFF and in particular in all categories of our national teams,” the GFF said yesterday.
The budget was handed to the Executive Committee of the fans club to cater for their transportation, feeding and other essential logistics in Thies.
The public relations officer of the Club, Saidou Ceesay
described the gesture as very important to their preparations. “We are fully ready to support our boys in Thies,” Ceesay said .
“On behalf of the fans club members, we will like to thank the Federation for the support they always give us towards the national team”., he said as he set to mobilise fans .
The Gambia versus South Sudan kicks off at 4PM at the Latdior Stadium in Thies.
