MUHAMMED S. BAH
The Ministry of Justice has refuted media reports claiming that they made legal recommendations on the suspension of the Gambia Football Federation Officials.
The Ministry through a press release on Friday August 10th, stated that the Attorney General’s Chamber and Ministry of Justice, noted with concern, reports within the media, that the Gambia Football Federation President and two other officials of the body, were suspended, supposedly on the recommendation made in a legal advice, proffered by their office; that the office wishes to make it clear that it made no such recommendation.
According to the release, the Legal opinion issued by the Ministry, neither made any finding of criminal culpability against the said three officials, nor any adverse recommendations against them.
It could be recalled that the National Sports Council suspended GFF president Lamin Kabba Bajo and his deputies, Ebou Faye and Bakary Jammeh, after a parliamentary select committee’s report recommended action to be taken on Football House. This was later lifted by the Minister of Youth and Sport.
Reports on Foroyaa Sport, show that this is not the first time NSC is imposing bans on the aforesaid persons; that they have been previously warned by the NSC, to desist from coming close to Football House, something Kabba and his team refused to heed to and instead threatened to drag the NSC to the Court.
The row between Government’s technical arm, NSC, and GFF, has led to fresh fears of a Nigeria-type football saga, in the Gambia. GFF has always accused the NSC, of witch-hunt and FIFA is known to have tough stance against third-party interference, in the running of national football federations.
