The Gambia U-17 national team has done it again, and in ostentatious chic. The team defied all odds to beat Algeria 3-1 to clinch the 2009 African U-17 championship held in Algeria from March 19 to April 3 2009.

About two years ago, in the wake of the country's 4-0 aggregate defeat to their Senegalese counterparts in the qualifiers for the African U-17 tournament, to be held in Togo, which appalled the whole country, many soccer pundits had asked how it could have been possible for The Gambia, the then defending African U-17 champions, to succumb to a nation that had not even qualified for any continental competition at junior level.

However, two years later, another Gambian U-17 victory has captivated the entire African continent, and once again helped to stream the country to international soccer recognition. This victory was for a long time in the making, but the fact that it had a national and international audience as never seen in Gambian football before, the greater victory reckons brighter days for football both nationally and internationally. The gallant young boys who toiled and fought hard for it have made it clear to all and sundry that The Gambia's  soccer train has arrived at the international stage with a big-bang. It is not that such a victory was achieved contemptibly, considering the opposition that The Gambia U-17 team dismantled on its way to triumph in Algeria, but the fact remains that The Gambia is no more the small fry, and feeble opponent that we were once classified by many of our neighbors.

The Gambia's roller coaster traverse to continental football approbation at junior level started six years ago when the Baby Scorpions qualified for the African U-17 championship staged in Swaziland. That qualification was the first ever achieved by a Gambian football team in a CAF competition, and it announced the emergence of a distinct tone in African football to the whole world.

And even though the country could not progress beyond the first round of that competition after a 2-2 draw with Cameroon in their last match, The Gambia has never wavered in its struggle to attain the credit it deserves in continental and global football.

Consequently, as the senior national team continued its disappointing run of matches on the continent by once again failing to qualify for the African Cup of Nations, which was to be staged in Tunisia in 2004, the Baby Scorpions became the bright and refreshing light at the end of a long dark tunnel for Gambian football.

Inspired by their inner fortitude, which undoubtedly helped the team to win the July 22nd Peace tournament staged in The Gambia, the U-17 side went ahead to marvelously cruise to the pinnacle of success by winning the championship on home soil after beating Ghana 1-0 in the final. This triumph became the defining moment of Gambian football, and true to the genuine nature of that victory, The Gambia U-17 team has never wavered in the beliefs, core values and attitudes that under-grid that historic football success.

And even when the whole world doubted our potentials in Peru in the FIFA U-17 championship in 2005, the team once again stood to the test of time and proved yet again that Gambian football has come off age, that as instructive as it is we have shed our infamous underdog mark and have now emerged from our excruciating football times of yore with brawny fervor and solid tenacity to rewrite our football history with a renewed sense of vigor.

In rewriting this history, we purged off Brazil in our first match, in what became a very illustrious start to our World U-17 campaign. This victory vibrated round the whole world and caught admiration in the highest echelons of world football. Even FIFA who gave the Baby Scorpions a weary chance of making any impact in the competition were now forced to recognize the magnitude of change that has now characterized Gambian football.

In an article published on its website, FIFA said: "Mention the word Peru and the date 17 September 2005 to any Gambian football fan and their eyes are sure to light up. It was on that memorable Saturday evening that the nation's U-17 side made African football history. It was the first time a Gambian national team had taken part in a FIFA world championship - and the U-17 finals were to mark the country's great entrance on the world football stage." "Nobody gave the novices much of a chance, especially when the first game saw them pitched in at the deep end against reigning world champions Brazil. But the Gambians upset the form books, pulling off a sensational 3-1 win that made the football world stand up and take notice," the website added.

And despite our early exit in the competition, following our 2-0 defeat to Holland, the global football fraternity still had their eyes glued to our grand chic arrival to the world football stage. Tim Vickery of BBC captured this in vivid terms when he said: "It is vital now that Gambian football does not pay the penalty for the Baby Scorpions' dramatic elimination."

"Getting through this group always looked a tough assignment, and Gambia's performances, especially in the first two games, outdid the pre-tournament expectations. Gambian football has now announced its arrival on the world stage and its players, coaches and administrators now have the task of building on what was achieved in Peru 2005," he concluded. And those few words from Vickery have become the ultimate tonic to our splendid continental and world football success of recent.  

Celebrating a laudable victory
The 2009 African U-17 championship is now over and we are the African champions at this level for the second time. This victory is ours as much as the 2005 victory was also ours.

In this regard, considering the manner in which we achieved it, it is important that we understand the facts that led us to victory in Algeria. Of all the eight teams, we possibly had the toughest qualification. We played 2003 finalists Sierra Leone before being finally hurled against one of the continent's greatest teams at youth level, Ghana who in fact also won this year's African Youth Championship held in Rwanda earlier this year.

Also Group A, where The Gambia was assembled was the toughest in the competition. This group which also included Guinea, 2003 champions Cameroon, and hosts Algeria was called the group of death. But their tough opponents did not intimidate them. They played the entire tournament undefeated and only conceded a goal through a controversial first half penalty in the final against Algeria. Prior to the U-17 tournament, the Baby Scorpions played four matches in their Egyptian camp without being defeated.

Looking forward to the future
At this juncture, it is important that we ponder over what our victory in the 2009 African U-17 championship means for the future of football in The Gambia, and the thousands of Gambians across vast stretches of land in the world, who like their counterparts at home have taken pride in the reckoning that has become synonymous with Gambian football of recent.

Like 2005, this victory marks another transformative movement that will forever stand as a matchless and stirring testament to the potentials that we have as a nation in football and sports in general.

Yes our 2009 triumph is a celebration of our recent heroic exploits in continental and global football, however, it is also imperative for us to underline that this victory should not be an end in itself, but a means to an end. It should offer us another rare, but glaring opportunity to further harness our potentials in football and build them into a solid base through which we will continue to bend the arc of football history in favor of our country in the years to come.

Consequently, we can champion a renewed confidence in ourselves, that no matter how sturdy our opposition will be in the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Nigeria later this year, we will still reign high, and tower above all other football nations when it matters most.
 NB: The writer is one of the leading sports writers in The Gambia. He also writes extensively on other issues such as politics, economics, gender and entertainment.