One
of Gambia’s promising Female footballers and a FIFA LYG Girls Ambassador Ajara
Samba has called on the Football Federation to reconsider them for the most
identifiable face in women’s football as it sinks further down below.
Nineteen-year-old
Ajara, who works with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare as a
procurement clerk and a player with 2nd Division club Red Scorpions, said the
Football Federation of Lamin Kaba Bajo’s executive is not giving considerable
concentration to Women’s Football and its development thus “not treating them
rightfully”.
“Much
concentration is not given us (Women’s Footballers) by the GFF,” she
complained.
Gambia’s
first and memorable engagement in a major female football tournament was in the
third edition of the 2012 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup held in Azerbaijan from
22 September to 13 October; won by France, while The Gambia exited the
tournament in the group stage with a screaming record of 26 goals conceded.
Ajara
further said: “Let them (GFF) not be carried away by the 2012 Azerbaijan
tournament results because if they do, it will only discourage the future of
young girls trying their luck in the game.
“We
deserve to be treated right and be supported equally like the male players in
order to achieve our goals as young female footballers aspiring to be
professionals.”
Ajara
Samba became a FIFA Live Your Goal Initiative Ambassador in 2015 and she is
aspiring to represent The Gambia at a senior international competition.
“I
think the Football Federation should do something to register us in future CAF
Women’s Football tournaments as soon as possible because the pool of female
players is growing and this should be nurtured and highly motivated by helping
us compete in a major competition, at least,” she implores.
Over
the years, Women’s Football in The Gambia has not been given its respective due
thus unfairly treated, unlike the men’s game where more focus is largely
bestowed to modern men’s football, leaving considerable conditions unfavourable
and meddling with the progress of the female game in the country.
If
handed the rarest of opportunities to make a change? She said: “I would try my
utmost best to develop a formula, which is the S+ME=IFS+ICA (success plus Media
exposure, equals to the Increase in Fan support, plus increase in commercial
attractiveness), with that formula I guess working with the media we’ll make an
everlasting positive change on issues persistently confronting women’s
football.”
The
GFF, in its ranks, has always blown its trumpet to supporting and developing
female football, outlining it as one of its top agenda in the development of
football in The Gambia.
But
since the GFF’s come into office in 2014, nothing much has been there to see in
optimism for the future of women’s football aside from the Live Your Goals
Girls campaign by FIFA for greater young girls’ participation in the sport, as
the female sport is on the lost veranda.
Since
2008, a requirement has been in place for at least 15% of FAP funds to be used
for women’s football by Fifa to allocate the Federation a good portion of its
annual Financial Annual Programme fund of more than D11 million.
