Can Gambia qualify for CAN 2012?

In The Gambia now, with the current situation in Group F where The Gambia  is grouped with Burkina Faso and Namibia in the forthcoming African Cup of Nations, many of the soccer fansin the country are now doubting the Gambia’s qualification chances to the tournament to be co-hosted by Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.

The leader of the group now is Burkina Faso, with nine points, followed by The Gambia with 3 points whilst Namibia is yet to secure a point.

This is indeed a real cause for concern for our soccer lovers in the country, who are worried whether the senior national football team (the Scorpions) will qualify.

It is high time we start to critically think about the future of the team.

The fundamental question we need to ask ourselves is - do we have the players who can achieve The Gambia’s qualification for the African Cup of Nations?

We are unlike many other African countries who have most of their players playing in professional leagues in Europe. In our case, the majority of our players are not playing in professional leagues, and this is one of the factors hindering Gambian football.

This does not mean that our players are not committed to the game, but they need more support in order to cross the bridge. We are fully aware that the government and the private sector are contributing their quota towards the development of the national teams.

It is sad to read from a local newspaper that the players of the senior national team were protesting because members did not receive their match bonuses.

We understand this was shortly before leaving for their friendly international match with Gabon.

We do not expect such bad experiences to happen with our players, especially at a time when we need them most.

This kind of frustration is not good for our football.

This is really disappointing to hear. Where was the Gambia for Gold and the Ministry of Youth and Sports when this was happening? Let’s us help Gambian football to grow, as this is for the betterment of everyone.

Meanwhile, we would like to congratulate the Scorpions for the victory in their friendly match against Gabon.