The Gambia U-17 team will not be lacking in support when they travel to Nigeria for the 2009 FIFA-17 World Cup starting on October 24, Observer Sports can reveal.

The sports-loving Gambian leader, Sheikh Professor Dr Alhaji Yahya Jammeh, who doubles as the team's number supporter, has pledged to airlift a staggering number of 350 Gambian supporters to cheer up the team that will enter the 24-team tournament as African flag bearers. "The President of the Republic has given us a package to ferry fans to Nigeria," the Gambia football chief Seedy Kinteh, who soundly hailed the gesture, told Observer Sports yesterday. "The arrangements are underway to facilitate the airlifting of about 350 fans. The advanced team will leave Banjul for Nigeria on Wednesday, where they will work with the Gambian embassy in Abuja to prepare the grounds for the arrival of the supporters."

The Baby Scorpions will open their Group C account against Iran on October 25 in Nigeria's southeastern city of Calabar, and Kinteh said their plan is to ensure that fans arrive in time to watch the October 25 opener against the Asian giants. It's the latest magnanimous gesture the Gambian leader has extended to the national supporters' club who had enjoyed similar trips to Peru and Congo Brazzaville in 2005 and 2007 respectively.

The South America trip in particular, has seen the Gambian fans grab international attention after faking air emergency to land in time for Gambia's group match against Qatar in which the Baby Scorpions won 3-1 to proceed to the quarter-finals.