Editor,

"The Gambian Fans were panting and yelling as the gallant Scorpions made a ceremonial exodus out of Stade Armite in Dakar, following their heroic triumph in the Senegalese capital." That's what Saul Njie would have said and that says it all. The fact of the matter is that Gambian football came of age a long time ago, in the 1960s.
 
Ace commentator, Peter Gomez, my colleague, is right, our shortcoming has always been that our strikers come up short and this has been the cancer of Gambian football. That should underscore the historic performance of our boys in the "Fanbondi" colours. They are a formidable side and have put the continent on notice that Gambian football is improving. The giants of Brazil can attest to this following their experience with us in Peru, four years ago. It is that team that has reached the pinnacle of excellence and brilliance.

The whole nation should not feel bad about not qualifying because, in essence, we  did qualify save for a technicality in the new system of computation. This is not the end of the world for Gambian football.

What we should take from this is much PRIDE and assurances that we are a continental heavyweight in football and will be around for a while. The Football authorities deserve our heartiest felicitations for a job well done, and those that preceded them - say the Alhagie Gabbie Sossehs and OB Conatehs - also deserve a pat on the back because they first put the house in order.

Finally, to all the fans that were "panting and yelling" while the "big men' went up, congratulations and enjoy this one. The lesson we learnt from this historic and monumental achievement is that "Mbollo Moi Dolleh." Go Scorpions!

Mindorr Mama