Gambia Football (Soccer) Team

September 16th, 2008 filed in Soccer

Apparently age cheating can work both directions. Gambia is being scrutinized at Africa’s Under-17 Football (Soccer) Championship qualifiers for possibly using over-age players. The “Baby Scorpions” won their first round game 3-0 on Saturday to eliminate Sierra Leone. The Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) was quick to protest to the Confederation of African Football (Caf) alleging that Gambia used over-aged players in the contest. The three players in question are Bojang Ebrima, Samateh Lamin, and Kawusu Japp. Gambian football authorities have quickly dismissed the claims, saying that Sierra Leone is bitter over the defeat.

Team manager Abdoulie Bangura states, “the allegations made against our players are false. We don’t cheat in any competition we enter, and we’ll never cheat.” He continued to say, “The players in question are eligible to play because they are within the age bracket. The Sierra Leone team officials want their fans to take their minds off the bitter defeat they suffered from us.”


Gambia BEAT Sierra Leone
Billy Beater

I would have to agree with Bangura on this. It really does sound like sour grapes. These young men have documentation stating they fall within the age bracket, and who is Sierra Leone to challenge that? If they can’t beat Gambia on the field, they have to accuse the team of cheating? It’s ridiculous that these tactics have become so common in sport. You win and lose on the field.


Gambia is CHEATing
Chester Cheater

This controversy comes straight off the heels of the Chinese Gymnastics Team age controversy at the Beijing Olympics where the gymnasts were accused of being too young to compete. This is the more common form of age cheating, where over-age players are utilized in order to dominate younger competitors. In international competition, age cheating seems to be very easy to get away with, as Gambia is doing here. The government only needs to provide paperwork with false ages in order to cheat in the competition. Which of course reminds me of this question. How old is Freddy Adu now, is he still 14?

What do you think, did Gambia CHEAT, or did they BEAT?

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12 Responses to “Gambia Football (Soccer) Team”

  1. 1
    SNation Says:
    September 16th, 2008 at 10:36 pm

    Was Danny Almonte on the roster?

  2. 2
    NESW Sports Evening Paper 9/16/2008 | NESW Sports, Sports Videos Says:
    September 16th, 2008 at 11:31 pm

    [...] I knew Gambia was cheating < Cheat or Beat [...]

  3. 3
    Phil Says:
    September 19th, 2008 at 4:58 pm

    Apparently this is not an isolated incident :

    From : http://www.newera.com.na/page.php?id=9235
    After going through the Namibian team’s return, yours truly discovered that some very well known faces that are plying their trade in the domestic elite league were listed under assumed names on the team list.

    This follows on the heels of the country’s football authorities’ boasting to curb the age cheating disease in African football. Practice what you preach or shut up and take the “everybody does it” route.

    However, the consequence of this particular exercise is that it denies young footballers the chance to compete internationally and could have serious repercussions for the national senior team in the final analyses.

    Ever wondered why teams from the African continent are not doing exactly well at the FIFA World Cup finals while they have been a dominant force at junior tournaments. I rest my case.

  4. 4
    max ceesay Says:
    September 30th, 2008 at 8:57 pm

    Gambia won fairly…Sierra leone team and officers are just angry for the defeat…Gambian football is on the rise..they are far more better than the sierra leoners

  5. 5
    simba Says:
    February 26th, 2009 at 8:51 am

    i hear that senegal are planning an attack on gambia, can you confirm??

  6. 6
    Spirit of Africa Says:
    February 26th, 2009 at 8:52 am

    I can, Gambia lie in or way. We will crush them like a juicy mango

  7. 7
    simba Says:
    February 26th, 2009 at 8:54 am

    you know our love of mango, that is our national people, tha mango will protect gambia…gambia will stand!
    We will meet you at the jungle stadium and destroy your lepord asses

  8. 8
    Spirt of Africa...reborn (joey) Says:
    February 26th, 2009 at 9:00 am

    we have cheating Gambia govment in big palm of hand. Jungle stadium has always been strong hold of Senegal, there we will fight you with spirit of africa and mango juice will stain the mountain tops.

    Btw, don’t you love mangos?

  9. 9
    simba Says:
    February 26th, 2009 at 9:03 am

    there are no mountains in gambia! gambia palms bigger than senegals. we will give thanks to the rain god for your watery mango juice that is less enjoyable than concentrate.

    btw i looooove mangos, what is their best feature in your opinion?

  10. 10
    Shaman of Africa Says:
    February 26th, 2009 at 9:03 am

    CURSES on the people of Gambia

  11. 11
    Football Age, “Real” Age, and the Meanings of Age in Africa | Pitch Invasion Says:
    August 11th, 2009 at 1:25 pm

    [...] brothers, Amadou Sanyang, Emmanuel Gomez, and Abdoulie Mansally), for example, has led to much speculation about the age of their players. The thinking boils down to the admittedly perplexing question of how The Gambia, a desperately poor [...]

  12. 12
    A New Chapter Begins: Tunisia vs. Gambia Preview - Tunisia - Africa Cup of Nations 2010 - World Cup 2010 Says:
    January 8th, 2010 at 7:45 am

    [...] senior side (U17 African champs in 2005 and 2009)… And they haven’t been immune to the question of age [...]

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