By Yankuba Jallow
Tom Saintfeit, the head coach of the senior national team has resigned from his role after losing to Cameroon last evening.
Tom’s side, The Gambia, lost 3-2 to the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon on Tuesday evening.
“This is last match as the national team head coach. I step down [even though] I still have a contract with the national team until August 2026,” he told the press in Ivory Coast after failing to qualify for the next stage of the AfCON.
He added: “I am still Gambian. I love The Gambia. I want to thank the federation. I want to thank my fantastic players. It was the best period of my life.”
The Gambia Football Federation immediately after Tom’s announcement wrote on their Facebook page: “Thank you for your service gaffer. After everything is said and done, Gambia will indeed miss a great tactician. Five and a half years of incredible service to our nation, qualifying us back to back AFCON was no fluke. Always the best of luck.”
In his reaction to the AfCON defeat, Tom Saintfeit said he is the proudest coach in the world after having bounce back after having two (2) difficult games against Senegal and Guinea.
“It was a difficult start and a difficult preparation. We had a good game and I think we deserve the points. I am very proud as a coach and I am very disappointed with the results,” the Coach said.
On the match against Cameroon, he said the Scorpions played well and dominated most part of the game.
“We needed more chances to score. I think we played fantastic. The difference is we did not score as much from our chances as Cameroon did. We lost, but we won the game. Gambia won the game. Fantastic performance – I am proud of my players. It is sad that we are going home without a point,” the Coach said.
