Real de Banjul hit out at hoaxers

An official of the Gambia premier tier club, Real de Banjul, has condemned hoaxers who claimed to be officials of the Banjul club in their bid to defraud a Brazilian coach of his money.

A fraudster, who uses the name Joseph Jabang, is posing as the president of Real de Banjul and has tipped a Brazilian coach in Marcelo Lima that Real de Banjul wanted his signature. Jabang recently mailed coach Lima, asking him to effect a payment of US$600 to the WAFU secretariat for his authority-coaching permit, without which he will not be eligible to work in The Gambia.

In his last purported hoax email sent to the Brazilian yesterday, Jabang stated that an arrangement had already been made for Real de Banjul secretary general, Jimmy Tolang, to travel to the WAFU secretariat in Cotonou, Benin, to process the permit. He urged Lima to effect the payment latest Monday (yesterday) via Western Union after which Real de Banjul will send him an invitation letter to travel to Banjul for the official signing ceremony.  

To further convince the Brazilian to effect the payment, Jabang assured him that the US$600 would be refunded to him as soon as he arrives in Banjul. However, the rather astute Brazilian coach, who seemed unsure about the deal, contacted Observer Sports yesterday to verify whether Jabang was the Real de Banjul president before he could send the money.

In his email to Observer Sports desk, the South American coach said he was tipped to be the next Real de Banjul coach by Joseph Jabang, but added that he needed help to verify whether he was communicating with the right people.

Observer Sports contacted Real de Banjul's vice-president, Bakary Jammeh, for clarification after efforts to reach the club president, Willy Abraham, proved futile. Jammeh, who was puzzled by the news, categorically stated that the Banjul club, who are presently managed by coach Pa Samba Mbenga, are not after any Brazilian coach.  "We are not after any Brazilian coach. It's a hoax message.

The mail and the information contained within it are untrue," Jammeh told Observer Sports in a rather furious tone. "The hoaxers are just trying fool Lima and anyone doing this must stop it." "We have a good manager in Pa Samba Mbenga and we have never at one point thought of hiring a foreign coach," he concluded.