GFF COY OVER NAMING COACH

By Sulayman Bah Authorities at the Gambia Football Federation are keeping their cards to their chests relating to questions over how soon will a new man be tasked to lead the senior Scorpions. Gambia scorpions are without a coach with a new man yet to be named as the African Cup of Nations 2017 qualifiers nears on. Process of securing a gaffer to fill the vacant managerial void has since started with a bevy of candidates said to have applied. Former Gambia national team trainer Paul Put –who has been for months linked to takeover the reins –is one of the applicants being vetted with the rest of the other vying candidates’ names undisclosed. The NSC in February claimed up to fifteen coaches are eying the Gambia coaching job but wouldn’t be tempted to divulge the names of the job-seeking persons –a tendency familiar with the selection process of a coach for the Gambian senior team. ‘We will communicate it once we are done,’ was GFF’s Ebou Faye’s reply when quizzed by Foroyaa Sport yesterday over how soon or when a new coach would be named. Finnish-born Martti Kusela has been one name synonymous to the vacant managerial role before the federation recently moved to refute the claims. Secrecy over the selection process and failure to at least name a potential list of candidates has inevitably given birth to riffed speculations. Latest unconfirmed reports from the rumour mill claim an Italian and a Belgian are part of those being shortlisted while playing down Paul Put-also a Belgian – chances of a second coming. Bonu Johnson who led Gambia’s 2014 acrimonious World Cup 2014 campaign was the last man to leave the job before being reassigned to the local-based team for the CHAN competition qualifiers, a tournament to run simultaneously as the Afcon. Gambia begins the 2017 qualifiers with an away game to Johannesburg against Bafana Bafana of South Africa.]]>