The head coach of the senior national team, the Scorpions, Peter Bonu Johnson, has called for more patience and support for the coaches and players for their efforts despite their 3-0 loss to the Elephants of Ivory Coast in the 2014 World Cup qualifier played at the Independence Stadium in Bakau on 8 June 2013.
Bonu Johnson, who made these remarks in a press briefing shortly after the end of the game, congratulated the boys for their performance despite the loss against their opponents.
He said: “The results did not actually show in the field of play but the performance of the boys.
“The boys did well but unfortunately we did not utilize the numerous chances we got.”
He, however, mentioned the chances utilised by the Elephants which led to the defeat of The Gambia by 3-0.
Despite having over ten chances underutilised, The Gambia’s head coach says the players deserve commendation since they fought well but lost the battle.
Coach Bonu however pointed out that scoring is a difficult task in football, which is not a problem peculiar only to The Gambia.
He promised to continue the buildup of the team through proper correction of mistakes and teamwork.
Coach Bonu also noted that Gambians “are aggressive” to their own local coaches while being patient with foreign coaches.
He further urged Gambians to exercise patience and support their people, saying The Gambia lost the game but was not due to underperformance.
He was not disappointed with the boys, he said, adding that they did all they could but were not able to utilize the chances.
In his remarks, Captain Mustapha Jarju said all the players were fit for the game and performed well.
He pointed out that though The Gambia conceived defeat, he would like to commend the boys for their performance.
Further asked about his fate in the national team, he responded: “Why should I quit the national team? I do play in my club weekly and score in every week that I play,” he said.
He, however, expressed dissatisfaction saying the Gambia media have not helped them.
Many other players, he also noted, wanted to come for the game against the Elephants but did not due to the criticism they always receive at the end of the day.
