It is confirmed Steve Biko and Sea View FC will remain in the GFA First Division League. The embattled Bakau clubs unarguably breathed a sigh of relief on Saturday when the proposal to increase the number of teams to twelve got endorsed at a traditional pre-season meeting held at the Independence Stadium, Bakau.

Speaking to waiting journalists shortly after the marathon meeting, that was attended by club representatives and other football stakeholders, Brigadier-General Lang Tombong Tamba, the first vice-president of The Gambia Football Association who doubles as chief of defense staff of The Gambia Armed Forces, said:

“When we met last year, we observed that there was a proposal for divisional teams to be increased to twelve catering for the provincial teams. But since most of our clubs are poorly financed it was impossible for the provincial teams. We therefore tasked the organising committee to work out modalities to increase the number of teams.”

In its (organising committee) recommendations, Tamba added, “the provinces will have their own First Division League comprising of six teams, meaning it won’t be necessary for them to come and play here.”

“The committee further recommended to the executive that the number of teams in the First Division be increased from ten to twelve - meaning that the two teams that were to be relegated (Steve Biko and Sea View) will now remain in the First Division whilst the two teams that gained promotion (Samger and Interior) will be elevated to complete a twelve-team league table.”

“This was recommended by the  organising committee, endorsed and approved by the executive before it was agreed on by the clubs in our today’s meeting,” revealed Brigadier-General Tamba, who presided over Saturday’s gathering.