Gambia For Gold, a fundraising committee set up to raise D32 million over a period of four years to finance the activities of the senior national football teams, in particular the U-17 and the U-20 teams in general have lost more than D1.5 million in two matches because of no shows and also penalties for changes and cancellation of air tickets, according to a report by the committee headed by Tombong Saidy.
“The senior national team for example has cost the country a lot of unwarranted cost,” the report stated, noting that Ebrima Sawaneh, Sanna Nyassi, Demba Savage, Abdou Njie and Lamin Samateh were invited to play in the Gambia against the Guinea Bissau match in Portugal but did not show up. “This means we lost the money for the tickets because they are not refundable,” the report stated.
It added that for the Gambia and Equatorial Guinea game, the following players: Demba Savage, Tijan Jaiteh, Pa Modou Jagne, Sainey Nyassi, Edrissa Sonko, Abdourahman Dampha, Ebrima Sawaneh and Alieu Jagne did not show up even after air tickets were sent to them. “We again lost the money for the cost of the air tickets,” it said.
“For penalties alone for the Gambia against Equatorial Guinea match, it cost the country D644, 330.00,” the report pointed out, noting that Ebrima Sawaneh and Demba Savage were “the most notorious absentees; they were absent in both matches despite receiving their air tickets”.
“Poor arrangements for the U-20 cost us D74,400 in hotel bills in Dakar,” it went on, adding: “Something has to be done to reduce these costs, The Gambia is a poor country and we are struggling to raise funds only to be wasted because of poor arrangement.”
