In another historic demonstration of commitment towards the advancement of Gambian football, the Gambian leader, Professor Alhaji Dr Yahya Jammeh, yesterday made a landmark disbursement of D29M to The Gambia U-17 players and officials, at a colourful ceremony at State House.

18 players of the team and 8 officials each received D1M, with 6 other players who accompanied the team to Egypt and Algeria each receiving tokens of D500,000.  In the same vein, the president also disbursed over D600,000 to other officials who accompanied  the team to Algeria, including the journalists. This benevolent move, which was hailed by many as a worthy cause, was a fulfillment of a pledge made by the president to the gallant U-17 Scorpions, who emerged as champions of the just concluded 8th edition of the Africa U-17 tournament.

Presenting the money to the Scorpions, President Jammeh commended the rulers of the Africa U-17 football for raising the Gambian flag high.  He also commended all the other stakeholders who have supported the team and hailed their contributions to other important social events in the country.  The Gambian leader then went on to inform the gathering that it is his government’s responsibility to create job opportunities for all Gambians, noting that whereas the government cannot do that, it is an obligation for them to create the enabling environment for people to be self-employed.  This, according to President Jammeh, has been the reason why he has given maximum attention to football and other skillful ventures for the citizens to explore their individual talents. “As president of The Gambia, my wish is to see everyone living comfortably in peace, to be independent and to be dignified so as to sponsor and take care of yourself,” he said. According to Professor Jammeh, his keen interest in football is also born out of the fact that the industry is today the highest paid in the world.

Commending the 2009 heroes of The Gambia and Africa for adding another major achievement in the annals of the country’s development, President Jammeh also had an unreserved piece of advice for them. “You must never forget the supremacy of the Almighty Allah and the supremacy of your parents,” he said, adding, “your parents are yours, and as such, you must give them the respect they deserve.”

The Gambian leader, acclaimed  as the number one fan of the Scorpions, used the opportunity to urge Gambians to change their attitude in terms of apathy towards supporting the national teams during home matches.  He cited an instance when the Independence Stadium was virtually empty during an international match between The Gambia and a foreign team.

“If we, Gambians, do not give them  any support on our own territory, who is going to give them support?  That is very bad,” he stated, while reminding the Gambian populace that today, every citizen is happy and proud because of the team’s selfless efforts. While re-echoing his commendations to the team, the Gambian leader expressed optimism about the Scorpions triumph in the upcoming World U-17 championship, slated for October this year in Nigeria.

The SoS for Youth and Sports, Sheriff Gomez, hailed President Jammeh’s commitment to the advancement of Gambian sports.  He also hailed him for inculcating in the minds of young people that with determination, hard work and commitment, all can be achieved.

SoS Gomez joined President Jammeh in expressing gratitude to all other stakeholders who contributed immensely to the team’s victory.  He also used the opportunity to urge stakeholders to renew their commitment to promoting Gambian sports. For his part, Major General Lang Tombong Tamba, chief of Defence Staff of The Gambia Armed Forces, who is also the first vice president of the Gambia Football Association, commended the president and their partners for the support. The assistant captain of The Gambia U-17 team, Omar Colley, described the gesture as a rare privilege, and commended the benefactor for his efforts in uplifting the status of Gambian football. As a way of expressing profound gratitude and appreciation to the Gambian leader for his support, the SoS for Youth and Sports, on behalf of his department, presented a gift to President Jammeh and Vice President Njie-Saidy.

The Gambia Football Association also presented the number 19 jersey of the national U-17 team and a football to the president as a mark of gratitude to him. Present at the ceremony were the vice president and secretary of state for Women’s Affairs, Aja Dr Isatou Njie-Saidy; the speaker of the National Assembly, Hon. Fatoumatta Jahumpa-Ceesay; the chief justice, Abdou Karim Savage; secretaries of state; National Assembly members; service chiefs; members of the diplomatic community and parents of the gallant Baby Scorpions.