Scorpions' Date
With Destiny!
The Independent (Banjul)
November 14, 2003
Banjul
All days are important but some days are more important than others.
The scorpions have a date with destiny on Sunday 16 November when
they take to the field away to Liberia, where they look to continue
their unbeaten run for the group stages of the African Nation's Cup
and World Cup qualifier.
After winning the home game 2-nil against the Lone Star of Liberia
the clash in Monrovia is poised to be a nail-biting moment for both
sides.
Both teams cannot afford to lose such a crucial test to their
footballing. The match in Monrovia would be played against the
background of political volatility attending to the return to peace
in Liberia wrecked by many years of civil strife. The Lone star has
been affected by the resultant interruption of their footballing
activities.
It is three volatile years since they were last engaged in
international competitions. Their task is made all the more
difficult after losing to the Scorpions whose morale in the run-up
to the match remains at fever pitch. But Liberia's better pedigree
in international competitions makes them slight favorites for the
encounter, a conclusion, which Gambian fans of the national team
would dismiss as unfounded. However, losing to The Gambia at home
turf would spell an end to Liberia's attempt to reassert themselves
as one of the elites of African football despite many years of
interruptions caused by the civil war.
For The Gambia, losing away to Liberia would also mean an end of the
road, after much hope and faith in the Scorpions were justified by
an earlier run of success against World Cup wonders Senegal and
Nigeria.
Gambian soccer fans believe that the Scorpions have come of age and
will deliver where it matters most. But whether this is founded
optimism or just a misguided pipedream would become clear by Sunday.
"This is about the best national soccer team The Gambia has produced
for many, many years" said a confident fan.
His optimism is shared by the team's technical director and
caretaker coach, Sang Ndong, who said that his boys would
demonstrate gallantry and emerge with a favorable result. "There is
no discernible way in which the Lone Star can upset our winning
streak. The Liberian team which played in Banjul cannot beat my
boys," he said. Sang Ndong said that he knew no top Liberian player
in the top leagues of Europe. "They brought to Banjul what they have
in the first leg" said Sang Ndong.
Meanwhile, the Gambia National team left Banjul on Thursday for
Monrovia via Ivory Cost where they will spend the night before going
to Liberia on Saturday for the crucial game the next day.
The Gambia Football Association (GFA) has sent an advance party to
Monrovia to assess the security situation in Liberia whose peace
process has been described as fragile.
The party comprises Commander Lang Tombong Tamba, coach Pa Suwareh
Faye and an NIA Officer.
Meanwhile Lone Star coach Nkrumah is determined to pull off a major
upset of the Scorpions. He said he was counting on the contributions
of Liberia's impressive array of professional players for the battle
of Monrovia.
AmRa to airlift fans to Monrovia
AmRa Consultancy Company headed by Tombong Saidy will be lifting
Gambian soccer fans to Monrovia to cheer the Scorpions in their
campaign against the Lone Star.
According to Mr. Saidy they have secured seats in the Millennium
airline to transport fans from Banjul to the Liberian capital.
According to him 150 seats are available for the trip and only
Gambians certified as soccer fans will be given the chance to travel
to Monrovia.
Mr. Saidy added that the fee for the airlifting is only one thousand
five hundred Dalasis (D1, 500).
Explaining the modalities of traveling, Mr. Saidy said that the
plane will leave Banjul on Sunday the day of the game at 12 pm and
arrive in Monrovia at 13:30 pm while buses will be available to
transport fans to the stadium.
He added that, they would transport fans back to Banjul at the end
of the game.
He revealed that he has provided the GFA with a quotation unraveling
the transportation of fans and the national team players. Up to
Wednesday the GFA was considering the wisdom or otherwise of taking
up the offer.
Meanwhile, Independent sports has learned that the national football
governing body has rejected AmRa's offer, leaving it with the only
option available and that is that the team will be traveling to
Monrovia via Ivory Coast.
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