Editor,

I wish to register my sincere gratitude to the chivarous men/women of the various state security outfits in The Gambia for their superb display of maturity and manner in which they handle the large crowd which converged at the Independence Stadium during The Gambia/Senegal derby match.

They did not only help arrange the crowd, but also help identify empty seats and ensure the safety of the spectators. That is what is expected of a responsible security system. We are proud of you.

Gone are the days when soldiers used to use pipes to control a crowd. We are civilised enough and I think the fans and the security know this.

The Gambia's genuine hospitality is unquestionable and this was amply demonstrated by the fans behaviour during and after the game. FIFA and CAF were closely monitoring events happening in the match. We have proved all the doubters wrong.

I hope the Senegalese authorities take note of what happened in Banjul - what is good for the good is good for the gander and we hope the same olive branch would be extended to the Gambian fans when we travel to Dakar.

The Senegalese FA should also try to beat sense into the head of El Hadji Diouf (or rather he keeps his nasty mouth shut) with regards to what he says to the media. The fact that he is a celebrity in the football world should makehim all the more careful to mince his words. He is a character and likes to be at the centre of public attention. However, this is no licence to utter words that could send slivers of blood through the spines of people and cause troubl. I am myself a football fanatic and I hate to see anything that could tarnish the image of soccer.

We were all taken aback when he says "it is war not football" in an interview which was carried over the Senegalese print/electronic media, just a day before The Gambia took on Senegal in an away match during the cup of nations qualifiers in 2003, which Senegal went on to win anyway. His words helped ignite the already boiling trouble between the two teams.

I write not to bring back bad-old memories but hope it would serve as a lesson to the Senegales FA and prevent any future occurrence of incidents of this nature. What happens at the stadium in Dakar during Gambia's away match was either a security lapse or a total disregard for our fans.

For example the Gambian fans were subjected to receiving missiles thrown at them by the Senegalese fans throughout the game. The question was how could stones and other objects find their way into the stadium? A soldier was also seen malhandling Dawda Bah, a Gambian players, just few minutes before the game. How could that have happen? Was it a ploy to threaten the team and divert their attention?

I hope someone somewhere would strictly talk to the Senegalese security forces otherwise any harassment, mal-handling or arrogant behaviour on our supporters will ultimately reflect on the large Senegalese community residing in The Gambia.

Whatever advance team may travel to Senegal, there issues should be put into consideration.

However we hope they put their security in order. We also hope and pray for peace whilst we wait in anticipation of the match.

Saidou Jallow

Latrikunda Sabiji