By Sulayman Bah
A Sports Director in Germany has offered a groveling apology to Gambian-born Bakery Jatta after initially accusing him of fraud.
Robert Palikuca, sports director of Numberg, instigated a campaign for clubs defeated by Hamburg to lodge complaint to the German FA.
This paved the way for two other sides to follow suit, accusing Bakery Jatta of perjury and falsification of documents, about a month after the controversial BILD news outlet carried a similar story last year.
Bild ran series of articles accusing the Gunjur-born of fraud, conspiracy in a saga that began in October ending only in November.
The story went around becoming a major talking point in the international media as some pundits described the Gambian game as fraudulent.
Consequently, Jatta got booed at stadiums each time he turned for his Hamburg second division side prompting investigations by the German FA and Hamburg province.
Bakery did not allow the curses get to his head, developing a thick skin through those torrid times.
Findings later proved BILD’s story to be untrue in a major sigh of relief for the 21-year-old.
And apologizing, Robert Palikuca said yesterday in a Dutch outlet translated to English: ‘I’m sorry. I would like to emphasize once again that our objective was in no way against the person of Bakery Jatta. It was in the heat of the moment.’
Palikuca’s offer of sorry comes just hours to Hamburg’s rematch meeting with Numberg today in which Bakery is expected to feature.
