Chances to make our maiden qualification to African Nations Cup in South Africa in 2013 and the World Cup in Brazil in 2014 have yet again suffered another set back. What is next for Gambian football?

Although if we can put up a miracle against Ivory Coast in March, 2013, against Morocco in June, 2013 and likewise against Tanzania in September, 2013 hopes to make it to World Cup is still bright. For the nations cup we are totally out after the 4-1 defeat by Algeria in Algiers and one-all draw in Banjul automatically gave the Desert Foxes the qualifications to the next rounds of CAN 2013 qualifiers.

Group D standings for the world cup now is Ivory Coast leading with four points, Tanzania three points, Morocco two points and Gambia one point. Can we put up a miracle to win all the four remaining matches to secure a clear twelve points? Yes why not we can. Let us start the campaign now as we are eights months to the first match against Ivory Coast in Abidjan in March 2013.

What can we do to achieve this dream?

Training camps

Preparations should start now and forget about our usual ideology that we cannot beat Ivory Coast. Although they have more experience players than us but with serious hard work and well preparation we can pull a respectable result against them. We have done against Senegal despite there big names in the world football so why not Ivory Coast.

We never though we can beat Brazil and Mexico in U-17 tournament in Peru in 2005. When the draw was done in Peru every body was describing Gambia as the underdogs, but at the end we proof every body wrong. All that success was because of the preparations done and exposure of the players before the tourney. Operation against Ivory Coast for world cup qualification should start now by selecting players prepare them and motivate them well before the match. Am sure with all hands on deck we would make it Brazil for the world cup in 2014.

Our recent bilateral relation signed with Italia should be utilized to its maximum by using the country as training venue for our tournament preparations. We should not leave the team to rest till next year and start rushing to prepare ourselves for the matches. We should now learn from our mistakes and invent new strategies for our football.

Why can’t we learn from the Gabbie Sosseh’s U-17 five year plans, which really paid a great dividend in the development of Gambian football? Gabbie’s plans immediately from Mbabane, Swaziland in 2003 really worked and contributed greatly to the current position of Gambian football. Thank you very much Uncle Gabbie Gambia would never forget you.

Coach Luciana Mancini there is no times to rest continue your training schedule; there are still chances to make yourself a name by qualifying the Gambia to Brazil 2014 fifa world championship. For you to succeed you have to work hand in glove with your coaching staff and quickly come up with plans for training camps and organize series of test matches within and outside the country.

Come up with plans you would be surely supported and remember the entire Gambian population are behind you with all there prayers. Go, go coach Mancine you can do it. You can really make history by qualifying The Gambia to it median world cup appearance at the senior level. We have done it in 2005 with an African coach Osam Doudu, who qualified U-17 to world cup in Peru and also put up a very respectable performance during the tourney.

Technical Support

The recent straighten of the FA’s technical department is a good step in a right direction. But hope they know the primary objective of that component of the association is all about. The main objective is to create a vibrant technical department for our football. Although the league is now ended but yet still plans should be made to go round the country and even beyond to scout for Gambian players and scrutinizing them about their performance and playing time in their various leagues.

We should not only relied on lip service about our foreign based players, but we should visit them at their various teams and watch them playing. Some of our foreign based players we waste our resources on even if they have clubs in abroad, may not have enough playing time or not even playing in a recognized league.

Since there would not be any match in the senior squad level till next, should be use an opportunity to prepare our self well, by identifying new talents and improving the skills of the already existing ones. Organize series of test matches both at home and away to prepare the team very well, rather than waiting for last minute and start rushing everything.

Fund mobilization

Sometimes I felt flabbergasted, when I heard the FA says we cannot organize test matches or we can’t do this because we don’t have money. Football is a joke, but indeed a serious joke. Therefore we need to take it very seriously and entrust it to people who are interested to manage the game, but not people who are just there because they once play football for the nation. Yes they have the expertise to direct the game, but that is not enough for them to be entrusted to run the affairs of the association.

Football is very expensive, so we need to learn how to mobilize funds for the development of game in the country. Sometimes I cannot understand the relationship between the instituted Gambia for Gold by the ministry of youth and sports and the Gambia Football Association. When there is problem of funding of the national teams, you would hear the FA saying we did not receive the money from the Gambia for Gold still now and the Gambia for Gold also pointing their fingers to the FA for the relishing the money to the players.

Although is a great idea to create the Gambia for Gold by the ministry, but I think they should be working hand in hand with the FA, as both parties are given the responsibility to manage affairs of the football in the county and also manage the national teams on behave of the government.

We need to entrust the game to people with good financial discipline and good reputation in the leadership positions and good to be able to convince potential sponsors to put their fund into football. ‘’Let me tell you do know why we lost to Algeria in Algiers, is because of the ball they use, which our players are not exposed to yet’’; says a senior football official.

Is this not a shame for the country even to buy smart jaboulani balls for our football we cannot? Let us involve people into the game, who’re ready to invest their resources in it and not those expecting to eat from the game at the detriment of the nation. The national team is owned by the government, so I think when there is problem of clearing a consignment of balls from the airport we should involved the authorities concern and seek for their assistance. Please let us stop given our country a bad name. Football is an investment, therefore let us invite potential investors into the game to invest their resources and gain dividend at the end.

Why can’t we project how much we expect to gain from the remaining coming matches of the scorpions and sale all the matches to a company at an interest rate with all the match rights?

With the forthcoming international matches now is the high time westart selling the match rights to companies and individuals and rest from all the burned of ticket printing and thinking of been duplicated by others before the matches.

Forthcoming GFA Election

The September, 2012, Gambia Football Association election, should not only be an avenue to electa new president, but the congress need to be used as platform to reflect back to the achievement of the past presidents of the association before choosing a successor to the bulldozed Seedy Kinteh regim.

Am not trying to belittle anybody here or to campaign for anybody, but we need to elect somebody who has resource and ready to borrow football. We don’t need a president who cannot sacrifice his fund to pre-finance the FA’s activities, but rather wait for people to go and look for donation for him to enrich himself at the expense of the association.

Previous FA president’s I can remember, from Alhagie OB Conteh, Alhagie Gabbie Sosseh and Seedy Kinteh both used to pre-finance some of the FA’s activities and get refunded later when the FA’s account turn blue. So we need a president like this few names I mentioned above. Let us do away with personal sentiments and come together to develop our football.