Gambia to Host Senegal Home Matches

Senegalese FA delegates to Gambia

The Gambia and Senegal have moved a step closer to sealing a deal under which Senegal’s home matches in the current World Cup qualifiers could be played in Banjul Leopold Sedar Senghore Stadium is serving a one year ban  by CAF for their fracas against Ivory Coast in 2012 during the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying round match.

This development followed two days of talks between football officials from both countries after concluding an inspection tour of facilities in Banjul few weeks ago.

Senegalese FA delegation to The Gambia Led by Vice president Babacar Faye, the informed their host at meeting on Wednesday that they are impressed with the facilities and the open and warm welcome accorded to them during their short and hastily arranged trip to Banjul. At the said meeting, both parties agreed to set up joint committees that would be tasked to work out the logistics.

However Gambia FA sources told this paper that the GFA would first have to formally inform and seek government approval on the proposals and details of the discussions with the Senegalese FA officials.

 “Football everywhere pulls crowds and that means serious organisation, including security and even diplomacy in this case . So it is only natural that government is put in the know’’ a GFA official told   stated.

Senegal has been faced with dilemma since been slammed with a Caf ban on the use of their country to stage international matches.

Meanwhile it was also disclosed that there have been earlier suggestions that Guinea and Mauritania where initial considered, but the feeling in Dakar is overwhelmingly behind the option to bring the matches to Banjul, not least because of the proximity in terms of logistics and inter-woven relations between the two countries who speak the same local languages.  The matches immediately planned for Banjul are their home World Cup qualifiers against Uganda and Angola.