By Kemeseng Sanneh (Kexx)
The High Court in Banjul has ordered a stay of proceedings in a legal dispute between Kuteh Jonbul Football Club and the Upper River Region Football Association (URR-FA), directing the parties to first pursue internal dispute resolution mechanisms provided in the URR-FA Constitution.
Presiding over the matter, Justice Adenike J. Coker (Mrs.) ruled that the applicants—Kuteh Jonbul, Niomuta United, Briffu, and Tabanding Football Clubs—must exhaust internal remedies before continuing with their case in court. The clubs are challenging their expulsion from the Third Division League and all other URR-FA-sanctioned football activities.
Represented by Counsel M.L. Sanneh and A. Fatty, the URR-FA argued that the applicants had bypassed the constitutional processes of the URR-FA, Gambia Football Federation (GFF), and FIFA, which all mandate alternative dispute resolution (ADR) before litigation. They maintained that the matter was premature and that the court lacked jurisdiction until those remedies were fully explored.
Counsel A. Mendy, holding brief for A. Jobarteh on behalf of the applicants, countered that the clubs were denied access to internal mechanisms following their expulsion. He submitted that the URR-FA’s refusal to recognise them as members blocked their ability to activate internal channels of redress, thereby justifying their recourse to court.
In her ruling, Justice Coker acknowledged the principle of “ubi jus ibi remedium”—where there is a right, there must be a remedy—but held that the applicants were still obligated to attempt internal resolution.
She noted that even expelled parties must be deemed members for the purpose of invoking the internal dispute resolution clauses under the URR-FA Constitution. The stay, she said, was to allow the parties to comply with those procedures.
The ruling also addressed a pending interlocutory application by the applicants, who are seeking an injunction to stop the URR-FA from proceeding with the 2024/2025 Third Division League and from holding its Elective Congress. Justice Coker ordered that the status quo be preserved pending the outcome of the main suit.
The matter has been adjourned to October 14, 2025, at 10:30 a.m.
