By: Muhammed Lamin Drammeh
The Gambia Football Federation (GFF) has said that FIFA, the World Football Governing Body, has intervened in the GFF infrastructural projects 14 times instead of constructing 14 football pitches as listed on the FIFA website on the FIFA Forward Fund for member associations.
Speaking to the press, the General Secretary of the Gambia Football Federation, Lamin Jassey, said FIFA only intervened in the federation’s football infrastructural projects from 2016-2022 instead of building fourteen football pitches from scratch.
“FIFA, I repeat, did not build fourteen fields. FIFA intervened fourteen times or FIFA did fourteen projects as far as infrastructure is concerned from 2016-2022,” Jassey told the press.
Jassey also provided a breakdown of the interventions made. He mentioned that in certain areas, changing rooms were renovated, public toilets were built, perimeter fences were installed, and in some places, floodlights were added. Additionally, he mentioned that the artificial pitches at Banjul and Brikama mini-stadiums were replaced.
According to Jassey, he reached out to FIFA when the report came out, which steered numerous questions on the integrity of the federation.
“I reach out to FIFA myself to talk about this. I called FIFA and asked them where are the 14 pitches. They made it very clear it was the interventions,” he informed the press.
Jassey agreed that the manner the report was published by FIFA on their website could have misled many people.
“I may say that the way they (FIFA) have published the graph, the explanation of it may have misled,” he said.
However, still on the FIFA website, it is reported that it has built fourteen pitches for the Gambia Football Federation through part of the FIFA fund released to member associations.
