Gambia’s U-20 football team, the Darling Scorpions arrived to a huge welcome party in Canada yesterday, ahead of the 14th FIFA World Youth Championship finals eight days before their first game against Mexico.

The Darling Scorpions earlier had a week-long training camp in the United States as part of the preparation for the world’s second-most prestigious football showpiece which commences on Saturday, June 30 to July 22.

The Gambia team is progressing in leaps with players such as Ousman Jallow, Abdoulie Mansally, Ebrima Sohna and Pa Landing Conateh making up the backbone of the squad, just as they did in 2005, when the Darling Scorpions brilliantly claimed the CAF African U-17 Championship on home soil in 2005.
This historic victory earned The Gambia the right to contest the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2005 held later that year when they surprised many observers. After two wins in the group phase, including one against eventual finalists Brazil, The Gambia saw their hopes dashed by an inferior goal difference to the Netherlands. This experience gained two years ago will undoubtedly prove valuable during Canada 2007 finals.

During the record-breaking championship, the debutants and African bronze medalists, the Darling Scorpions, will have their work cut out in Group C where they will face Portugal, Mexico and fellow newcomers, New Zealand. The first two teams would seem to be the logical favourites. Portugal, title winners in 1989 and 1991, return after a seven-year absence, while Mexico were crowned champions at the U-17 World Cup in Peru in 2005.

Despite been paired with some big names, the Gambia born coach, Peter Bonu Johnson, is in no mood to panic. On the contrary, he is single-mindedly focused on the task ahead.
"We will take each game as it comes and we will not approach any match lightly," Bonu Johnson was quoted as saying.