Banjul , The Gambia

The Scorpions of The Gambia are set to take on the Mauritania side in the first ever African Cup of Nations for locally based players.

The Egyptian coach, Tarik, who is being assisted by Lamin Sarr, a Gambian coach has identified a list of 21 players of which a final list will be made on Saturday.

The Mauritanian team, which is no stranger than the Scorpions, are a surprising side especially since the side spent nearly two years without a competitive fixture after failing to make the group stages for the joint 2006 Nations Cup and World Cup qualifiers.

Despite setbacks, Mauritanian football is on the up, which could be clearly linked with their country’s football developmental programmes.

Like The Gambia, Mauritania are simply dreaming of a maiden qualification in CAF competitions.

The Mauritanians finished second in Group Two in the Ghana 2008 qualifiers beating after Burundi 2-1 in Nouakchott to register their most successful ever qualifying campaign.

Furthermore, Mauritania’s ever-improving results in the last campaign have brought the country’s best players back to the side.

Saturday’s game will be a thriller as the Gambia will be equally ready to face a side which have been beaten many times by the scorpions.

Below is the list of the Locally Based Players for the Cracker

1.Modou Lamin Sillah(Del) Wallidan

2.Wuyeh SeyWallidan

3. Joseph Gomez Wallidan

4.Abdourahman DamphaGPA

5.Mandou BojangGPA

6.Sainey Touray Wallidan

7. Baboucarr Sey(Mbat) Bakau United

8.Abdou CeesayBakauUnited

9.Alhagie FatajorGPA

10.Abdou Njie GPA

11.George Cole Wallidan

12.Abdou Darboe Armed Forces

13.Modou Jobe(Toldo) Real

14.Ebrima JattaHawks

15.BekaiSarrReal de Banjul

16.Saihou JawaraRealde Banjul

17.Ousman Koli Steve Biko

18.Habib KuntaSteve Biko

19.Samba BahBakau United

20.Ansuman SamatehWallidan

21.Modou Ngum Wallidan