Interior awarded three points, in Clash of Colours

• Posted by Modou S. Joof on May 26, 2010 at 4:36pm
• View Modou S. Joof's blog

Banjul, The Gambia (TNBES) Officials of the Organising Committee of The Gambia Football Association (GFA) have decided to award Interior FC three points and two goals after their game against Wallidan
FC was called-off.

The game was abandoned after both sides brought in blue jerseys for the First Division League match in Week 18 on Thursday at the Serrekunda East Mini-Stadium. The rules concerning the clash colour stated: “in an event of a colour clash involving, team A and B, then the B team has to change their colour failure of
which may result to a sanction that might be decided by the organising committee.” Therefore with Interior been team A, they have every right to maintain their Blue jersey.
In a letter addressed to all League Clubs as of 15th April 2010, the Football Association said they have forwarded all the registered colours of clubs accordingly for perusals and any team that failed to comply, the rules of the game will take its course without fear or favour against the defaulters.
The GFA also noted that all teams are warned that bibs (training gears) will not be allowed to be used during League games, so the decision to cancel the game was a move in the right direction.

The rules went further to said that teams found faulty of the above, leading to the abandonment of a game will forfeit 3 points 2 goals to the opponents and without prejudice to a fine and sanction to be levied by the organising committee.
The First Vice-President of the GFA Lamin King said they have acted according to the rules governing the competition. “We base our judgment on the rules and the regulations governing the organising of the competition, therefore, Wallidan are found guilty by breaching our rules which led to this decision,” King Colley told West Coast Radio.

The Organising Committee also ordered for a replay of the game between Real de
Banjul and Gambia Ports Authority, a game that also failed to take place on Wednesday. The Gambian League leaders were said to have made a request to the Organising Committee of the domestic League to call-off their game with Real de Banjul last Wednesday after they were scheduled to play in a WAFU qualifier with Kaiser Sport, a Zingiunchor based Senegalese club. 

The Organising Committee was reported to have accepted Ports request to call-off the game just 24 hours before kick-off. However, Real officials claim they were not informed of the decision to cancel their game, but the 2nd Vice President of the GFA and Chairman of the Organising Committee Lamin King Colley argued that though a letter wasn’t sent to Real’s Secretariat, they contacted them on the phone to let them know about the postponement of the match.

“I am very disappointed,” King said of Real de Banjul, arguing that [Real] are claiming in the press that they were not informed about the decision to call-off their game. We wrote the letter but on Wednesday, our messenger wasn’t at work so the letter couldn’t be delivered but we spoke to them on the phone,
he said.
The decision of the Organising Committee to grant Ports Authority their request to cancel the game left the GFA with no decision other than to rule for a replay and Real de Banjul has to make do with the decision.

Gambia Ports Authority lead the league table with four points with only two games to go and the GFA’s decision to award Interior three points means Wallidan who are in second position on the table might have
thrown their chance to clinch the title this year.