Despite a
week of heated exchanges as the nation digested the controversial findings of
the GFF disciplinary committee, which slammed a five-year ban on members of the
former GFA executive and senior management teams, everything seem to suggest
that the planned July 31st GFF executive election is now well on course.
The GFF formally announced Thursday that Modou Musa and Mustapha Kebbeh are the nominated candidates for the presidency, and since then at least one camp, the Musa camp, has been busy distributing and promoting his manifesto in various media across the Greater Banjul Area.
Over the weekend, reports told The Point that Mr Kebbeh’s camp have been locked up in some negotiations with the Sports minister, but neither side would say what the topic was, merely confirming that there was indeed a meeting.
Meanwhile, the GFF yesterday confirmed that Fifa and Caf would be sending delegations to the GFF congress to serve as observers, while the Gambia’s professional elections organizers, the Independent Electoral Commission, IEC, would also be represented at the congress.
According to the constitution of the GFF, the election would be by secret ballot, and the person who scored 50 percent and one more vote of the ballots cast shall be declared winner.
There are 21 votes in the seven regions, 22 in first and second division clubsand the remaining 10 shared between the affiliate associations such as referees, schools football, women football, coaches and players associations, each having 2 votes.
However, up to now, the players’ association has not been formed.
GFF spokesman Alhaji Omar Sey said notice has been sent to the national team coach setting out the criteria for the association.
‘The members must be domestic-based players, for example the captain of the locally-based national team and others, could be members. If they could form an association from now onto the election time, they would be eligible to vote; if not, they could attend the congress but cannot vote,’ Mr Sey said.
Meanwhile, pundits have already gone to work speculating on the possible outcome of the election.
One seasoned analyst who threw a crystal ball focusing on the 22 league clubs suggested a tight race between the two camps.
“It is widely believed that the votes of institutional clubs, such as Armed Forces, Gamtel, and GPA would be crucial.
“In the regions, where there have been much criticism of the election process, delegates are divided between two entrenched camps; those angered by the banning of former officials and those keen to see changes. But since this is a secret ballot, intimidation and or inducement are unlikely to have any effect, as the voter can only go there and do what his conscience gives him at the very last minute,’’ our analyst concluded.