Reigning African U-17 team in nationwide tour

By Jalang Bukary                            

The Gambia Under 17 team will embark on a nation-wide tour starting tomorrow, April 28, a press statement from the Gambia Football Association has revealed.

The four-day tour, which is sponsored by the Gambian leader, Professor Alhaji Dr Yahya Jammeh,  is meant to enable the regions to also welcome the team after their return from Algeria, where they won the 2009 African Under 17 Championship earlier this month. According to the statement, the secretary of state for Youth and Sports, Sheriff Gomez, and the GFA president, Seedy Kinteh, will lead a 100-man delegation that will make a stop in each of the five regions (NBR, LRR, CRR, URR and WR) to enable the Baby Scorpions’ regional faithful to interact and offer them prayers ahead of  the forthcoming FIFA U-17 World Cup in Nigeria in October.

The release, which was signed by GFA development officer, Abdou Salaam Jammeh, solicits the cooperation of the regional governors in mobilising the general public for the tumultuous welcome befitting the African heroes.

Tour itinerary: According to the tour itinerary, the delegation, which will also include the fans and sports journalists, will start its journey from Barra to Farafenni before heading to Janjanbureh where they will pay a courtesy call on the Central River Region Governor, Alhaji Ganyie Touray.

The team will have a night stop in Upper River  Region regional headquarters, Basse, which is also the birthplace of Jatta Baldeh, one of the U-17 players. On Wednesday, April 29, the team will travel from Basse to Mansa Konko  via Brikama Ba and Kundang as part of the day-two tour. By Thursday, April 30, the delegation will head towards the Western Region, journeying to Kanilai via Tendaba, and Kalagi.