That feeling of
playing and supporting a nation so dear to one's heart with great emotions has
been tested by Gambians when the Scorpions made a maiden AFCON appearance in
Cameroon. A population of about two million is eager for similar excitement as
the Scorpions set to renew their commitment with both eyes fixed on a return to
the Africa Cup of Nations. Preparations for
the 2023 qualifiers have reached the climax with a venue for the Gambia's first
game being identified, the squad being named and a training camp organised for
the team. Gambia's squad for the game against South Sudan and Congo is already
in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where they are invited for a test game
against the UAE. A game that ended 1 - 1 as Musa Barrow scored an equaliser for
the visitors in the second half. The Scorpions used it as a preparatory camp
before they fly to Senegal to play South Sudan on 4th June and Congo on June
8th in Brazzaville. This could be a
usual campaign for the players, but not the supporters who will have to miss
the home games of their team for now. Hopes are high that this could well be
another successful qualifier for the Scorpions who promised the nation a return
to the AFCON. And Tom certainly
had the personnel that can fulfill that promise. Sulayman Marreh as the
brilliant creative quarterback, the fulcrum the entire offensive unit revolves
around, the excellent all-round game of his central midfield alter-ego Ebou
Adams, the subtlety on the ball and superb movements in the hole of Musa Barrow
with his powerful drives, the outstanding Yusupha Bobb with his delicate touch
and visionary movements, the work ethics of striker Assan Ceesay and the
complementary wing threat: the more fluid running and ball skills of Ablie
Jallow and the forcefulness of Ebrima Colley coupled with so much quality like
the master class displays of the midfield maestro Hamza Barry and the dazzling
moves of the unstoppable Steve Trawally, the Scorpions could be up for another
history-making campaign. During the 2021
AFCON, Tom and his team were widely tipped to be heading for a Cameroonian fall
after poor pretournament preparation – not only did a young and relatively
inexperienced squad defy the odds to reach the AFCON Quarterfinals in their
maiden appearance, they achieved it with commitment, dash, and ingenuity.
This could be another glittering campaign. The Squad For Sudan & Congo Games: Gambia's coach Tom
Saintfiet's style of player selection always allows his critics to load their
ammunition and fire at him. The narrative stay as usual after the coach named
his squad for the Sudan game. It appears as if the coach is now so accustomed
to criticism. The Belgian invited
25 players that excluding some notable names some of who were instrumental
during the AFCON in Cameroon. Explaining his reasons, Tom said those players
are either injured or demanded to be excused for the first two games. According to Tom in
an interview with AfriRadio, Steve Trawallly, Saidy Janko, Ebou Adams, and Noah
Sonko Sundberg all requested to be left out, while Ebrima Colley and Ali Sowe
are said to be injured and Hamza Barry who was included is said to miss the
first two games due to passport issue. The Scorpions further went on to lose
two players Modou Secka Barrow and Dembo Darboe to injury, they are replaced
with Nuha Marong and Bun Sanneh (the only home-based player). So long as it may
be agreed that so much quality is lost by missing those players, it can equally
be agreed that there is some much quality on the list to bank on. With the
return of Ablie Jallow, added to, Musa Barrow and Assan Ceesay who is in red
hot form. Rocky centre-backs in Omar Colley and James Gomez and dynamic
midfielders like Sulayman Marreh, Ebrima Darbo, and Yusupha Bobb can all help
Tom have it his way against Sudan as the players have a greater understanding
of the Belgian pragmatic tactical approaches. The Unusual: This generation of
the Scorpions supporters is faced with something unusual as both FIFA and CAF
agreed that The Gambia doesn't have the infrastructure that is fit for purpose,
as such they've been banned from hosting international matches. This forced the
Gambia Football Federation to negotiate with Senegal for The Gambia to host
their home games. That massive crowd might not be seen when the Scorpions play,
even though some economically strong supporters will still travel and GFF will
be able to generate some little income from the little tickets they will sell. A massive loss for
the country morally and economically, but this might not affect the performance
of the team as demonstrated in their previous ties outside like against
Algeria, DR Congo, and Angola where the Scorpions showed outstanding displays
without their supporters. Hopes Most of the
Scorpions players have enjoyed some fortune with their clubs and hopes are high
that they can carry along the same luck to the Scorpions camp and make their
campaign a fortunate one. The Scorpions are
drawn in the same group as Congo, Mali, and South Sudan, which is not a more
so difficult group judging by the recent form and achievement of the three
teams. Scorpions could be buoyed by the recent underachievement of their
opponents and build on that. South Sudan who
were admitted into CAF as recently as 2012, never qualify in their attempts in
2015 and 2021. Congo who last played the AFCON in 2015 where they finished as a
quarterfinalist, were hit with misfortune since then and they were unable to
qualify for the past three editions.Mali the most
consistent side in the group in terms of appearance since 2008 played in all
the editions since then but the far they could go in the past two editions was
a Round of 16 finish. This indicates that the Scorpions who finished as
quarterfinalists in the last edition in Cameroon have had a more recent success
than their opponents. Analytically, their chances of advancing from this group
are high.
