The decision taken by the Executive Committee of the Gambia Football Association (GFA) to terminate the services of the head coach of the U-17 team, Lamin Sambou, and his two immediate assistant coaches, Ebrima Manneh and Jane Joof, should serve as a warning for many.
This development came on the heels of the team's poor performance in the just concluded African U-17 Championship held in Rwanda.
We firmly believe that people entrusted with responsibility must be willing to deliver or ready to go.
However, the sacking of the coaches is just one stone thrown. But it will also be good for the GFA to hold a stakeholders conference to chart the way forward for the development of football in the country. The Rwanda experience is a big humiliation for both the two-time U-17 champs and The Gambia as a nation.
The price paid by the coaches seems to have gone down well with many fans who believe that the coaches have woefully failed the nation.
Now the GFA has another task ahead of them, which is to recruit a new team of coaching staff for the U-17 team.
The FA must ensure that the technical director also does his work effectively, since his job is mainly to guide the technical staff of the football association.
The GFA Executive Committee should also ensure that a nationwide selection is done by the coaches to avoid what many describe as bias in the selection of players.
We also urge the government and the private sector to be courageous and to maintain their vigorous fundraising campaign in order to raise Gambian sport to higher heights.
