The annual Central Bank Governor’s Football Championship better known as Inter-Banks tournament is scheduled to kick off on Friday November 24th 2006 at the Independence Stadium in Bakau.

The tournament, which featured eight Banks in last year’s edition, has been increased to nine due to the coming of Access Bank. Speaking in a press conference yesterday at the Central Bank in Banjul, Karafa Jorbateh, President of the Central Bank Staff Association, the body responsible for the organisation of the tournament, said that the nine Banks have been divided into two groups.

He added that group A made of four Banks namely Central Bank, International Commercial Bank, Arab Gambia Islamic Bank and Standard Chartered Bank while group B consist of five Banks:
Trust Bank, Guaranty Trust, International Bank For Commerce, First International Bank and Access Bank.

Mr Jorbateh revealed that the opening game would be between Central Bank and the International Commercial Bank (ICB) at 4.30 p.m. at the main bowl of Independence Stadium. He added that at the end of the tournament no financial reward would be given to the winners only a trophy would be awarded.

“The D7,500 contribution from each Bank would be used to pay the referee, stadium and other logistics,” said Mr. Jobarteh.
He appealed to the Press to give a full coverage to the tournament as a way of sensitising the general public on the needs of the Banking Industry.
“Banks being the custodians of the people it is prudence that the people see them interacting in an informal level,” Mr. Jobarteh concluded.