DELEGATES ADOPT GFA DRAFT CONSTITUTION

Alh. Omar Sey and Minister Jammeh

Delegates on Saturday adopted Gambia Football Association GFA draft constitution in a controversial adoptive congress held at the Independence Stadium Hostel hall in Bakau. This is the second adoptive congress of the GFA draft constitution since the coming into office of the normalization committee, the first was held on the 8^th December 2012 which was subsequently rejected by the world football governing body FIFA and urged Gambia to go for a second congress in the quickest possible time

A total of 54 delegates were invited by the GFA for the second adopted congress on Saturday.  Only 48 were present 27 voted for and 20 voted against to have a total of 47, while one vote was missing to complete the total 48 delegates present. 

The method use in this last adoptive congress was quite different from the first congress. During the voting process, delegates were invited from the regions by the GFA normalization committee through their regional governors. Out of the five regions, four were allowed to vote, while Banjul, KMC and West Coast Region were exempted from voting. Each region was represented by five delegates, and out of the list only one was entitled to vote on behalf of each region according to the new rules governing the Saturday’s adoptive congress.

The funniest part of the whole process was each region was represented by two different parties; those sent by the regional governors and the regional league clubs who were recently described as ghost clubs by the GFA normalization committee vice chairman and the spokesperson Alhagie Omar Sey. The said ghost clubs were denied from entering in to the hall to vote and make a decision on the draft constitution, instead regional representative of the governors were given the chances to vote most of whom are people who have no idea as to how football are run in the regions and even in the country as a whole.

Meanwhile, Saturday’s congress was described as fraud and already cooked idea use by the committee to adopt the draft constitution by the regional club representative and some first divisional delegates from both KMC and West Coast Region. According to them, the committee sent a letters to regional governors to send in representatives who have no idea of football to vote in other to have majority of voters adopting the constitution. An at the same time they did not write to the regional league clubs to informed them that they will not be allowed to vote during the congress representing their regions, because the regions were represented by regional governor delegates.

Regional and clubs delegates some of whom were denied from entering in the hall like Musa M. Fatty of Brikamaba FC, Matar Faal chairman CRR, Nyamo Touray also from CRR, Lamin Jawara secretary general Waterman FC of Basse and one of the aspiring candidate of the upcoming June 29^th GFA presidential election Kebba Yorro Manneh and host of others were all denied entering in to hall as representatives and observers.

Delegates at the congress

Speaking at a press conference after the controversial adoptive congress Alhagie Omar Sey confirmed the results to the press. He said that “there was a clear majority in the results of the congress 27 voted for yes out of 47 delegates present. It is left for the clubs to decide when they attend the congress in June 29^th this year  not to vote alone, but to put in people that can represent and take the country’s football further”, Omar Sey said.

 “It is usual that when we go to a congress like this, we submit the result to FIFA to scrutinise and analyse and compare it with what is in the constitution -the way to vote, the right to vote, the weight of absentees and abstention should also be analysed, but there was no doubt that there was a clear majority. 

We thank you very much and is now that the big starts will start because normalisation does not stop here and we look forward to the elective congress on the 27th June for the people in the new constitution to gather and elect new executives. And believe me, contrary to what some of you [journalists] are putting on your papers, the Normalisation Committee is in a hurry to leave, not for anything because it takes time.” 

He said that there is a lot of work that lie ahead of all everyone, not least the press, stressing that there is the need to work diligently and honesty. “We need to move forward in that spirit because coming to vote alone is not enough. We have to ensure that we put in place a system and executive that can move Gambian football forward,” Sey added.

He informed the gathering that CAF was invited but the continental body delegated the FIFA delegate to represent it. He explained that the delegate will in turn report to both bodies. Sey also commented on the contribution of Minister Jammeh, saying “he is very much interested in this move and he has been very supportive in what we have been doing in the normalisation process and we hope he will continue to give the support even when the mandate of the Normalisation Committee ends”. 

For the minister of Youth and Sports Alieu K. Jammeh use the opportunity to inform the media that non of the present members of the GFA normalization committee are qualified to stand as a candidate in the GFA election come June 29^th  2013.

The press crew at the press conference

He stressed that government is a key stakeholder in sports in the country.  He also said that “government has been very interested in charting out a clear road map and developing a comprehensive framework for the development of sports and football in The Gambia in collaboration with stakeholders, critically CAF and FIFA. We are aware of the support it is giving to member states and so we are conscious of the need to work and collaborate with FIFA in that process,” he stated.

Minister Jammeh continued saying that governments, particularly in The Gambia, have invested hugely in football over the years. He remarked that everyone knows that The Gambia is a footballing nation, but lamented that over the years, the country has not been able to put in place the essential ingredients and pillars on which there could be a firm structure of football and playing football. 

 “There are pillars very fundamental for any success that we desire in football and these pillars, we need to have a functional league, a league and team that people will be attached to, which is very critical and these has been going over the years. Another critical pillar is not to lose sight of the importance of school and community-based sports. 

Time past in The Gambia, we used to have a very effective school sports system and that assisted in grooming and identifying very good talents and that also died down. Another important pillar is to have a strong secretariat. Sports we all know are all about volunteerism. So if we have a secretariat that is not working in developing the athletes in my opinion is found wanting. 

“I am satisfied that delegates have adopted the constitution that would put in place these pillars and we will leave FIFA to interpret for us what we have achieved. It has now given me the room to work on putting in place the regional association as soon as possible and to finalise the sponsorship deal for the league.”