Bravo scorpions!

We would like to join the nation in congratulating the Scorpions for the brilliant performance they made on Saturday.

Indeed, the Gambia's senior national football team deserves commendation following their victory over Namibia in their 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.

The team started the qualifying stage well by collecting the first three vital points in their group, and it is now time for the whole nation to rally behind the team and give them the necessary support to accomplish the tasks ahead in the qualifying rounds.

Also, we would like to reminds Gambians about the Gambia For Gold 2012 Campaign, that is, the fund-raising drive which was launched by the government to raise D32 million for the team.

In this regard, we would like to use this opportunity to appeal to all Gambians and non-Gambians alike to contribute towards this worthy cause, and not leave it all in the hands of the Gambia Football Association (GFA) and Government to provide the needed funds.

Every soccer fan in the country should make sure that the Gambia For Gold 2012 becomes a reality!

The possibilities for the senior national team were evident, when in 2008 the Scorpions eliminated Senegal in their own home soil, but failed to qualify for both the Africa Cup of Nations and World Cup qualifiers.

This was due to goal differences with other contenders in the group, and was a clear indication that when the whole nation supports our teams they can deliver well.

However, one thing that is crucial at this moment is that more friendly international matches should be organized for the team ahead of their subsequent matches, with a view to helping the team keep in good shape.

In order to ensure the Gambia's qualification to their first ever Nations Cup, the Scorpions also need to exercise maximum concentration in all the Group F matches.

For instance, The Gambia could have avoided a goal on Saturday, but for fatigue and lack of concentration of players, which gave the visitors a crucial away goal.

As the team prepares for its second outing against Burkina Faso next month, we expect it to be fully prepared for the test, since their opponents ranked 45th in the world and 8th in Africa are a force to be reckoned with. Burkina Faso did not only stop at making a record of six appearances in the African Nations Cup, but went as far as finishing 4th in 1998.

Meanwhile, we are proud of the Scorpions!