Tijan Jaiteh is an awesome powerhouse of a player, whose ball-winning and passing skills helped bind the Brann midfield together for the whole season.  He played only a few seasons with Gambia Ports Authority before the Norwegian club stepped in with an offer for him - and what an inspired signing it proved to be as he helped Brann to their first league title in over three decades.

Jaiteh is a phenomenon, a 19-year old phenomenon at that.  Hailing from Bwiam in Foni Kansala, Western Region, the industrious prodigy possesses fantastic passing and tackling ability and also chips in with important goals. As well as being the heartbeat of the modern Brann side, he is also a vital part of The Gambia national youth team and the fact that he appeared in both FIFA Under 17 and Under 20 World Cup finals says it all.

The former Ports Authority ace has just breezed into town to recharge his batteries ahead of next season.
In his luggage were not only the League gold medal, but also the Best Young Player Award given to him by Brann.
No sooner had  he settled down than Observer Sports traced him out  for an exclusive interview centring mainly on the player’s dream of becoming a top class player.

Excerpt: I can’t believe you’re just 19 with all these achievements?
First of all I will thank God for helping me to get to where I am today.  I will also thank my mum and dad, my family and the people of The Gambia, who normally support the Gambian footballers. For the achievements, I put them all back to God. It’s God who gives to his servants. He chose me to have them and I hope that I can go and win more and more trophies in years to come.
As the saying goes ‘help yourself and God helps you’.
With God’s assistance and you fighting hard, I think you can get to where you want to be.

How do you feel after being voted the best young player with a big club like Brann in addition to winning the league title?
I was very surprised when they voted me the Best Young Player of the club because the club has other young players too who are equally good.  But the fans decided that I am their best young player, so I am happy.  It was very emotional for me.

Who did you dedicate the trophies to?
First of all I will dedicate them to my mother and father and then to my uncle, Saul Corr, who introduced me to football while I was young. I also dedicate them to all Gambian coaches and the Gambian President, Dr Alhaji Yahya Jammeh and the Football Association.

Tell me about your family background and where you hail  from?
I was born in Bwiam in 1989. I attended Albion Primary School then St Augustine’s Junior and Gambia High School.
My mother is an accountant at the Gambia High School and my father is a businessman.

Are you married, if not, how soon do you intend to tie the knot?
No... I’m not married, but I intend to marry sooner or later.

How did you get into football?
My uncle, Saul Corr, introduced me to football. I was among the first young players in his football academy.
Today I can proudly say that, from that academy, Demba Savage and I are professionals today.
I also used to play with my school team at Gambia High School and then at the Nawettan level in Banjul. It was at Nawettan level that I was spotted by Ebou Faye, then coach of Ports Authority, who later recruited me for GPA.

Tell me about life in Brann FC?
Life in Brann is great! I enjoy every minute of being there and the people there are very hospitable.
The people like me and that makes life at Brann very easy and enjoyable.

Don’t you encounter a language problem as it is a Norwegian club?
Yes... sometimes I do, but now I am learning the language slowly and surely. Also, the people there can understand a bit of English so am coping as far as language is concerned.

What are your expectations for the next season?
My expectation is to retain the league title. I know it won’t come easy but we are going to strive to retain it. I also want to lead Brann to the second round of the UEFA competition and we will also like to qualify for the European Champions League come next season.

Brann will be playing in the UEFA Cup next season, isn’t it great to star in a high-profile competition like the UEFA Cup?
Yea.. It is very great because not all have the opportunity to play in the UEFA Cup. It’s the second-most prestigious football tournament in Europe, Champions League being the premier club competition. So I thank God for giving me the chance to play in such a big competition.

Do you intend to end your football career at Brann FC?
No...I  want to play there for the mean time so as to develop myself more and hopefully have the chance to star for a bigger club in a top league.

“I will thank the President, Dr Alhaji Yahya Jammeh, for his love and support for Gambian football. He was the first person to give me such a huge amount of money as a footballer during our trip to Canada. His money made us to proudly show to our parents that ‘this is a substantive amount of money we gained in football’. That was the biggest amount I first received as a footballer”

Gambians want to see their players starring in much bigger clubs and I hope Gambian players will soon realise their dreams of playing in top clubs.

Which top league do you have in mind?
Many... Spanish League, English Premiership, Serie A, etc.

Which European league do you follow most?

I follow Italian Serie A, Spanish La Liga and other major leagues, but I follow the English Premiership most.

Who is your idol in football?

I support all players who play in the midfield role and I also try to learn from them, but Patrick Viera of AC Milan is my idol. He is an inspirational midfielder and I admire him.

What is your impression about Gambian players?

I think Gambian professionals are now doing very well and this was manifested in our last Nation’s Cup qualifying campaign.

We’ve had a good qualifying campaign where only a few points cost us the qualification and this is a positive sign that Gambian players are excelling. I hope the momentum will continue for us to have another good qualifier campaign come the South Africa qualifier.

Tell me your most memorable game?

My first match as a professional footballer. It was a match against Standerford (Ebrima Sohna’s club) and indeed it was a make-or- break tie for me as a debutant.

It was a game that could make me or damage me as a professional footballer. But thank God things worked out well for me in the game and it marked a good start for me.

One’s first match as a professional is very important because if you don’t perform to expectations, there is a tendency that you will be relegated to the bench.

Gambia is preparing for the World Cup qualifiers. Do you think we stand a chance of qualifying?

I am optimistic that we will qualify based on what I’ve seen during the last qualifiers. We just have to adjust a bit. We have a good crop of young players and believe me we will be Africa’s surprise package.

How is the pressure like as a professional footballer?

It’s nice but sometimes it turns sour. It’s nice to be a professional player but you must deliver in every match.

The fact that you are expected to maintain that high standard at all times makes it a bit difficult, but it is never demanding if you are used to it.  As a professional player, you have to go to bed early, eat good food, train well, desist from partying etc.

You should be also disciplined and dedicated.

Do you have any plan for Gambian children who want to be like you in the future?

When I was young, I used to pray that if I should become a professional footballer, let God give me the heart to help people in whatever way. So I will make sure I make this dream come true.

Gambian players are only confined to lower leagues in Belgium, Sweden, Norway..., and are not in top leagues like the English Premiership and Spanish League. What could be the cause of this?

In football, one should be dedicated and also have patience.

If you show dedication and patience and continue to walk hard, you find yourself in any top league.

However, Gambians should recall that other African players in Europe’s top leagues started at lower leagues like Belgium, Sweden etc.

The Nigerians and Senegalese playing in the English Premiership today all started at lower levels. But they got where they are today because of their patience and dedication.

Take Senegal’s Pap Bouba Diop as an example. He started in Swiss then France before heading to the English Premiership.

We, Gambian, should have the same mind set and if we do that, sooner or later, we will see more Gambians in Europe’s top leagues.

Reflecting on past years, can you notice any progress in Gambian football?

I think there were great changes in Gambian football from 2005 to date. We were in Peru for the Under 17 World Cup. Again we were in Congo for the CAF Under 20 Nations Cup and not long ago we were in Canada.

We also had a good qualifying campaign in the last Nations Cup qualifiers though we did not qualify. All these are positive signs that our football is developing.

What do you think should be done to nurture this developmental trend?

We have to support the teams. Let the teams have good preparations like it has been the case of late.

We also have to encourage and improve grassroot football and we can do this by establishing new football academies in addition to equipping the existing ones with good youth coaches and standard pitches.

Those playing professional football should also help the home-based players to get to Europe and learn the trade - football.

It’s not easy for players here to show their full potential because of the lack of necessary resources and equipment. But in Europe, it’s a different thing. African players easily excel in Europe.

Any final word?

I will thank the President, Dr Alhaji Yahya Jammeh, for his love and support for Gambian football.

He is the first person to give me such a huge amount of money as a footballer during our trip to Canada. His money made us to proudly show to our parents that “this is a substantive amount of money we gained in football”.

That was the biggest amount I first got as a footballer so am very grateful to him and I pray that he leads us for many years to come.

I want Gambian people to continue praying for the country and the players.