Gambia fix late friendly with Palestine

The Gambia senior nation team has had the opportunity of playing a friendly match with Palestine, barely 24hrs after GFA president Seedy Kinteh reported that the team would not take part in any international friendly match owing to hug e financial cost.

Huge financial demands beyond the reach of the country’s senior national team were made by match agents for the friendly matches between The Gambia and Mali as well as Congo Brazzaville, who were touted as the Scorpions likely opponents in the proposed Fifa friendly match calendar date.

Mr Kinteh has confirmed to this reporter that the GFA has come to agreement with the Palestine football authorities for an international friendly match between The Gambia and Palestine national teams slated for Wednesday, 17 November 2010 in the Palestinian capital inline with the Fifa calendar.

Explained M.B. Kinteh: “I can confirm to you that the Scorpions will play a friendly game with Palestine after we have received a confirmation letter regarding a possible friendly match on November 17 with the following conditions: the provision of 30 return air-tickets to the players and the team officials, provision of full board accommodation with a five-star hotel for the Gambian delegation, provision of a bus and a car for the Gambian delegation,  provision of training facility for the Gambian delegation, as well as taking care of the security arrangements for the Gambian delegation.”

According to the GFA supremo, 21 foreign-based players have already been invited to take part in the friendly match. They will leave Banjul on 15 November for Casablanca through Cairo.

Kinteh further revealed that the Gambian team will arrive in Amman, Jordan, where they will assemble before flying to Palestine for the crucial friendly match in a week’s time.

“Prior to receiving the offer from our Palestinian counterparts, we contacted the Ministry of Youth and Sports for clearance and they have given us their blessings and the green light to carry on with the friendly match,” Kinteh told Pointsport in an interview yesterday evening.

The friendly match against Palestine will absolutely go a very long way in the country’s bid to putting in place a formidable team as it continues to prepare for its two crucial fixtures to be played in Namibia in October 2011 and at home with Burkina Faso in November 2011 en route to the Africa Nations cup finals in Gabon\Equatorial Guinea in 2012.

The names of the players invited for the friendly game are Pa Dembo Touray, Ebrima Sohna, Momodou Danso, Omar Jawo, Mathew Mendy, Abdou Njie, Muhammed Mbye, Abdou Jammeh, Pa Saikou Kujabi, Pa Modou Jagne, Alagie Sosseh, Mustapha Toubabo Jarju, Abdoulie Mansally, Ousman Jallow, Momodou Ceesay, Ebrima Sawaneh, as well as four new faces in the names of Abdourahman Dampha, Paul Jatta, Saihou Gassama and Musa Camara.