Gambia arrest, detain football federation leaders

GFF President Mustapha Kebbeh (Photo Credit: Sang Mendy)

The police in Banjul have arrested and detained members of The Gambia Football Federation, GFF, on Friday.
 
“They are being held at the major crime unit division of the police department, in the capital,” GFF sources said. “The President Mustapha Kebbeh, Vice President Buba ‘Star’ Janneh, Secretary General Abass Bah are among executive committee members who were arrested over the weekend.”

It is not yet clear why the crackdown on the football officials. It came about 72 hours after Youth and Sports Minister Alieu K. Jammeh announced the sacking of the GFF president and four of his top executive and suspends all national football leagues.

Jammeh said he was acting on the findings of a task force set up by the national sports council, NSC, to look into the country’s expulsion from the CAF youth championship. 

NSC calls for sacking of three GFF officials, ask others to resign

A government task force that looked into The Gambia’s age cheating and expulsion from the CAF U20 championship has called for the resignation of entire football Federation executive committee  (Photo Credit: Sang Mendy)

The National Sports Council, NSC, has called for the sacking of the Gambia Football Federation, GFF’s, technical director Ebrima Manneh, U20 team manger Saihou Bah and administrative secretary Baboucarr Jobe.

An NSC task force that looked into The Gambia’s age-cheating and expulsion from the CAF U20 championship recommended their sacking.

The task force also recommended that the [entire] GFF executive [committee should] honourably resign for “failing and embarrassing the nation and losing public trust.”

Gambia Football Federation to Protest CAF Championship Expulsion

By Omar Bah

A spokesperson of The Gambia Football Federation, GFF, has said on Monday they will protest against a decision by the Confederation of African Football to disqualify The Gambia from the U-20 Championship for fielding ineligible players. 

CAF’s decision on April 21 came after Liberia’s FA protest over Gambia’s used of over-aged players during the first leg of the qualifiers in Monrovia which Gambia won 1-0.    

“The GFF is innocent and we were acting on the rules and regulations that were presented to us. The players that we selected were under-20 and they are eligible to play the qualifiers,” argued FA spokesman Buba Star Janneh.

GFF invite police to probe expulsion over age-cheating

GFF President Mustapha Kebbeh (Photo Credit: Sang Mendy)

The Gambia Football Federation, GFF, Wednesday announced it will invite the police to investigate the age-cheating saga that led to the country’s expulsion from the U20 qualifiers last week.

 

Following an appeal by Liberia over Gambia’s use of ineligible players during the first leg of the qualifiers in Monrovia which Gambia won 1-0, the continent’s football governing body, CAF, announced it has expelled The Gambia. 

"Indeed, Sampere Mendy, Buba Sanneh, Bubacarr Trawally, Saloum Faal and Ali Sowe were all born in 1994 and are not qualified to participate…,” a CAF organizing committee agreed on April 21.