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| The Kinteh-led executive committee was dissolved by Gambia’s sports ministry on March 2, 2012 and banned by a local football normalisation committee on July 15 2013 from holding office (Photo/Picasaweb/freedom). |
Gambia’s
football governing body Saturday lifted a five-year ban on former president
Seedy MB Kinteh and members of his ousted executive committee.
Kinteh and his former vice president
Adama Halla Samba were banned after a GFF Normalisation
Committee-established Disciplinary Committee accused them of “financial
misappropriation” and “managerial irregularities”.
Senior staffers Abdou Salam Jammeh, assistant
secretary general; Terema Dahaba, former director of National Technical
Training Centre; Kemo Ceesay, former treasurer, and Jammeh EK Bojang, secretary
general and Omar Sampo Ceesay and Lamin King Kolley – all former executive
members of the Federation (formerly Gambia Football Association) were also
banned.
On October
26, the Gambia Football Federation, GFF, which was elected in July, lifted that
ban at an impromptu extra-ordinary general assembly held at the national
stadium hostel, Bakau.
Mustapha Kebbeh, President of GFF, told
journalists the ban is scrapped with “immediate effect” to pave the way for
unity. Kebbeh had pledge to unite all stakeholders in Gambian football after a
long running war of words between his camp and that of the then normalisation
committee prior to his election.
He said members of the Federation
requested for it [lifting of the ban] and have given genuine reasons why such a
ban is not in line with the call for unity in football development.
Kinteh and Samba have since denied the
allegations and have accused the Normalisation Committee (NC) of
presiding over a smear campaign and witch-hunting exercise against the
Kinteh-led Executive Committee that was dissolved
by The Gambia’s Sports Ministry on March 2, 2012.
When the five year ban of
Kinteh and 15 of his dissolved executive committee was announced, amid rising
tension, local journalists said they saw this (ban) coming ever since the GFF-NC
granted itself “sweeping powers” in a mysterious letter purportedly sent to it
by FIFA.
Namorry Trawally, a senior sports
journalist, said the NC wants to kick against public
opinion by vowing at a secret meeting to disqualify Mr. Kinteh and Mr. Samba
from contesting for the presidency of the GFF.
“This recent overture from Mr. Omar Sey
(NC Chairperson) has not come as a surprise to most of us because he has an old
score to settle with either of the two,” alleges Trawally, also the
Editor-In-Chief of Sports View.
On June 8, former FIFA Deputy General
Secretary, Jerome Champagne, said he is dissatisfied with attempts to block
candidates running for GFF presidency.
“To block candidates is not correct and
frankly we should have an open election,” Champagne told West Coast Radio.
“Football is about democracy, and football is about giving a chance to
everyone.”
A few hours to the July 31 election, Brikama
United FC and Bakau United FC agreed to withdraw
the candidature of Seedy M.B. Kinteh for the
presidency of GFF.
“This decision
was reach in the best interest of national peace and security,” the clubs said in
a statement.
On July 17, the NC rescinded
the ban imposed on Regional Representatives after
an appeal filed by Messers Abdoukarim Sey and Ousainou Darboe, the representatives
of West Coast Region and Banjul.
Both told an appeal hearing presided
over by the NC that during the period under review (2009-2011) they were merely
on the peripheries of the administration of the Seedy Kinteh-led executive.
Meaning lifting a five year ban on the
following regional representatives: Alh Omar Sowe - Upper River Region,
Saikouba Ceesay - Central River Region, Wandifa Kinteh – Lower River Region,
Lamin Dampha – North Bank Region, Ousainou Darboe - Banjul, Abdou Karim Sey – West Coast Region, and Sulayman Drammeh
– Kanifing Municipality.
Written by Modou S. Joof
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