The international friendly match between the Gambia Scorpions and Black Panthers of Gabon has been confirmed for February 10 in Paris, France, Observer Sports can reveal.

The Gambia Football Association had tentatively fixed the date, while discussions were still on about the funding of the Scorpions’ trip for the encounter which Belgian coach Paul Put is banking on to keep his squad in shape after missing out on spot for the final qualifiers of the 2010 World Cup and African Nations Cup finals.

GFA President, Seedy Kinteh, has told Observer Sports that the Paris friendly will go as planned - thanks to the government’s intervention. “The government has offered to pay for the bills, so I am glad to say that the friendly match will take place come February 10,” Kinteh said. Scorpions coach Paul Put has already named an 18-man squad that will face the Black Panthers who are using the warm-up game to prepare themselves ahead of their 2010 joint qualifying games starting in March.

The Belgian’s list, which includes only one home-based player in goalkeeper Joseph Gomez, also has a long-time absentee Momodou Ceesay, who has since earned a new lease of life in Belgium after a severed knee injury that kept him on the sideline for over two years.

Other members of the provisional squad are Musa Bajaha, Pa Saikou Kujaba, Pa Modou Jagne, Abdou Jammeh, Matthew Mendy, Ebrima Sohna, Tijan Jaiteh, Njogu Demba, Mustapha Jarju, Ebou Sillah, Omar Koroma, Cherno Samba, Aziz Corr Nyan, Ousman Jallow, Njogu Demba, Sainey Nyassi and Abdoulie Ken Mansally.