The Gambia Under 17 team have been invited to the second edition of the Abidjan Under 17 Championship organised by the Ivorian Football Association.

This four-nation tournament which is heading towards its second edition is scheduled to take place between July 5th to July 12th in the former French colony.

The tournament was initiated last year by the Ivorian Football Association in their bid to develop youth football in the country. Four nations, namely Niger, Burkina Faso, The Gambia and host, Ivory Coast, took part in last year’s competition that was played in a round-robin form. The Gambia, guided by Egyptian Tarik Siagy, clinched the coveted trophy after beating the host in a thrilling final that was attended by thousands of home fans including the country’s leader, Lauren Bagbo.

The Gambia Football Association have accepted the invitation, as according to them, the tournament would be a fitting warm-up ahead of the 2009 African Under 17 Championships qualifiers starting in  August.