By Sulayman Bah
Tijan Jaiteh has chosen to pursue club football in an unlikely place
inking a deal in Slovenia, Foroyaa Sport can report.
The midfielder switched to Central Europe joining NK Koper on a
contract believed to be only for the season.The Slovenian club has since moved to add the Gambian on its roster
for the new campaign despite the signing not been publicized yet.
The 26-year-old, prior to this development, has stayed nine months
without a club after ending his association with Norwegian club
Sandnes Ulf in January this year.
Tijan parted ways with relegated second tier Sandnes on mutual consent
after the club accused the player of breach of contract.
The ex-Gambia Ports Authority man is alleged to have refused to report
for pre-season duties with the Norwegian side following end of his
holiday period in Gambia.
The club sporting director claimed he tried to reach out to the player
via email or phone without success when the playmaker didn’t turned up
at the club training base on his stipulated date of return.
The Scorpion blamed poor communication network blockade in the
December 30th mutiny as explanation for his failure to return on time,
adding he also needed to clear his second-hand goods loaded
container which docked at the Gambia Ports.
In the buildup to this drama, Start, a club in the Norwegian Premier
League club voiced interest in acquiring the Gambian.
Sandnes had gotten demoted to the second division after enduring an
unprepossessing campaign the previous year, and Jaiteh –nominated for
the club best player that season – is known to have been reluctant to
play second fiddle football.
An umbrage SandnesUlf -who believe the player’s head has been turned
by club Start’s lure -dismissed the Gambia international’s explanation
as ploy to quit the side and summoned for an emergency meeting with
Tijan’s representatives – a session that ended with both parties
agreeing to break the contract.
The 26-year-old since then had been without employers until this week
when he signed the dotted line with Slovenia’s Koper NK.
The player is yet to be unveiled and it’s unclear when he will make
his debut for his new side.
