What is your take on Gambian football and it's successes of late? The answer that one gives to this question will most likely depend on when one was born. In other words, our answer may be colored by generational bias. It's a pertinent question, though, well worth examining.

You need not be a football fanatic like me, to be impressed by the scintillating exploits of our gallant Scorpions. Members of every generation generally look back at their own halcyon days as the best that ever were. I'm sure there are many among the older generation of football enthusiasts who'd describe the achievements of the current Scorpions as the 'revival' of Gambian football. I beg to differ. A 'revival' is what occurs after death (or near death). Gambian football has never died, or fainted; it reached a certain height and peaked. And then, it suffered from years of stagnation and chronic mediocrity. For too long, Gambian football was perennially mired in the Zone Two boondoggle, with our best achievement in that regional tournament being runners-up.

There, where we peaked, it was our prime rival, Senegal, who often scupper our hopes. On the rare occasions that we ventured beyond Zone Two, say, in the few qualifiers that we didn't withdraw due to lack of funding, we were routed by other more pedigreed neighbors. Take, for instance, when the Scorpions bested the Cameroon Lions at home only to lose heavily a forth night later in Yaoundé, 4-0. Or, more recently, when we beat then World Player of the Year George Weah's Liberia in Banjul and then crumbled 4-0 in Accra. Yes, Gambian football didn't die; it peaked. Until now, that is.

This weekend in Dakar, that status quo changed drastically. I'll explain. Observing from across the Atlantic, with the dual advantages of both detachment and distance, I'm uncommonly situated to notice the shift. With all due respect to our old-hands dating back to the 1962 Scorpions that were the last to beat Senegal, the current crop of talents have not resuscitated what was, but rather, they have elevated the bar a notch or two. Their achievements have been unprecedented. The result from Senegal this weekend points to emergence, not revival. We have emerged from the doldrums, standing at the cusp of reaching even higher heights. Our youngsters have gone over the hump and elevated Gambian football to a new level of success. It is a clear testament to the strides taken towards development and maturity after years of average, token performances -- mostly for mere presence and representation, rather than true competition for respect and recognition. Going into the Teranga Lion's den this weekend, the stakes co
uld not be higher.

The Scorpions have arguably never played a more consequential game. The immediate prize was a berth among the elite 20 footballing nations on the continent that would compete for places at both the Africa Cup of Nations and the World Cup in 2010. The game in Dakar was more consequential than just the dual qualifiers, however; its effects would live long after the final whistle, long after 2010. At stake was the entire progress made by our youngsters in recent years, and the future of our football program.

Over the past decade or so, Gambian football has been cropping up from the grassroots, with incremental success at the U-17 and U-20 level. The success of the senior side was to emanate from that natural progression. Was this growth going to be nipped in the bud in Dakar? If the boys were to choke in Dakar, as they have done many times against our greatest rivals, the costs would be unbearable. Failure would undo most of the steadily accumulated successes at the lower levels. To be knocked out of the qualifiers effectively means no serious competitive football by the national team until the 2012 Africa Cup of Nation preliminaries, which begins about three years from now. Imagine almost three years of exile from meaningful football! Needless to say, that much time in the wilderness would have been devastating. It would mean less exposure for our up-and-coming youngsters, and as a result, limit their opportunities to be scouted into professional leagues around the world where they could earn a better living and
develop their skills further.

It would mean the virtual dismantlement of our footballing program which took years of meticulous building from the bottom up; it would mean immeasurable resources down the drain. Would the young Scorpions stand for that in Dakar? What's more, in football (as in life), success breeds more successes.

Devoted fans, sponsors and patrons who invested resources, energy and valuable time -- not to mention momentum and motivation that steadily built up over time -- could disappear fast (irretrievably, perhaps) were we to suffer a three-year hiatus. That whole domino effect was at stake as the Scorpions prepared to face their greatest rivals in Dakar. Whether subliminally or with full cognizance of these high stakes, Gambian football fans waited anxiously for their October 11 date with the Lions. They would not be disappointed. Undaunted by the insurmountable challenge, the lads heroically rose to the occasion when it mattered most, accomplishing the feat in face of great adversity.

Having been witness to their progress and brilliance on the pitch from Swaziland to Congo to Peru to Canada, I, like many devoted fans, was not to miss this decisive clash. Through a scarcely available Satellite TV package here in the U.S., that includes RTS, Senegal's national television broadcast station, a group of friends and I were privileged to watch the match, live from Estade Leopold Sedat Senghore.

The commentary was in French, but who cared? The pre-match rendition of "For the Gambia" was especially touching to half-dozen or so emigrants with a combined 75 years of living in the U.S.A. We watched the match at a friend's living room, hurdled together en masse, not unlike viewing parties of yesteryears as a preteen and teenager growing up in small-town Bwiam. As this Senegal-Gambia match got underway, I recalled with a certain nostalgia, the days of watching Italia '90 and Senegal '92, among other tournaments. Only this time, it wasn't a battery-powered, 15-inch, black-and-white television set! For a brief spell during the match, between Senegal's lead and Gambia's late equalizer, that creepy, gnawing feeling of deja vous returned; that all too familiar feeling, known to many a Gambian football fan, which has always characterized Senegal-Gambia encounters since 1962, when we last prevailed on the Lions.

Was it going to be another narrow, "so-close, yet so far" heart-breakers, I wondered. Despite our worst fears, our small viewing group took heart in the sheer grit and character of the Scorpions as they dominated over the Lions. Never mind the wildly hostile crowd! Never mind being a goal down to the Lions, who had home advantage! Never mind the burden of history! This group of youngsters fought fearlessly with irrepressible determination and zeal, knowing full well what was at stake. It was undoubtedly a rare moment of triumph over our more renowned rivals.

The scoreboard may say 1-1 at the final whistle but this was clearly a victory for the Scorpions -- and not just according to the Away-Goal Rule! This results affirmed and validated years of effort. It means continuity at building our football program that has long languished in dormancy. We have survived a live-or-die test. We have a chance to excel, rather than settle for mediocrity. It is fitting, perhaps, that our sweetest of triumphs come at the expense of our bitterest rivals. Credit, though, is due to the Lions, too, for being worthy opponents, but take nothing away from the Scorpions for they dominated and deserve to come away with a result. Every indication is that the best is yet to come from this bunch.

As we celebrate unprecedented success in international football, credit is due as well, to President Jammeh. His role in the advancement of football -- and the welfare of the players who continue to deliver the results that we crave -- has been decisive. Even the most ardent partisan would agree that his role as Supporter-in-Chief helped lift Gambian football out of perpetual mediocrity, and push it over the hump to its current heights. Kudos to the gallant Scorpions; you have done every Gambian proud! That pride is manifold for those of us who live abroad. And we owe you a debt of gratitude. Congratulations Gambia!

by Sheriff Abba Drammeh
(abbadrammeh@gmail.com)
Raleigh, North Carolina USA