Gambia, Sierra Leone to renew U-17 rivalry

The Gambia and Sierra Leone will in October renew their rivalry for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Uruguay 2018.

The Gambia will open its qualifying campaign with a trip to Freetown on 14 October for the first leg before hosting the return leg in Banjul a week later.

The qualifier will be played in three folds and in a round robin base for a place into the World Youth Championship showpiece, to be held in Uruguay in 2018.

The winner from the double header will face Ghana in the second round preliminary in December before the third and decisive round qualifier in February 2018 against the winner between Tunisia and Djibouti or Libya.

Reacting to the draw, the Gambia Women’s Football Coordinator, Sainey Sissoho, said: “It’s a good draw! Again we are aiming to qualify for the World Cup. I think this time we have seen more talented players than the team that went to Azerbaijan in 2012, and we have confidence in these players that they can take the country again to another level.”

Mariama Sowe, also head coach of the Scorpions National Women’s Team, is assigned to lead the team into the qualifiers and will be assisted by Foday Bah of Wallidan Football Club.

The last time both sides met the battle ended in a 6 – 1 resounding aggregate win for The Gambia; 3 – 1 in Freetown and 3 – 0 in Banjul for the Darling Female Scorpions in 2012.

Since then, The Gambia have not entered the last two editions held in Costa Rica 2014 and Jordan 2016.