By: Muhammed Lamin Drammeh
The Gambia Football Federation (GFF) has faced criticism for selecting Morocco instead of Senegal as the location for the Gambia’s AFCON qualifiers, allegedly due to per diem issues, but Ebou Faye, the GFF’s second vice president, has clarified that the federation rarely pays per diem, and no one receives compensation for per diem when travelling with the national team.
Mr. Faye’s response came following a barrage of criticism directed at the federation for selecting Morocco over Senegal allegedly for per diem hunting.
In an interview with AfriRadio, Faye explained that the federation does not readily offer per diem allowances. He clarified that if officials accompany the national team on travel, they do not receive per diem as all necessary expenses are covered.
“National teams, you don’t get per diem because you are provided with everything. So, people don’t know what [a] per diem [is] and what an allowance [is]. There is no per diem for national team duties and hardly, GFF pays per diem,” he stated.
Faye, who has worked at the federation for nearly ten years, stated that he had only been given a per diem allowance three times during his time as an executive member of the federation.
“I have been in the GFF for how many years now. I have only received three per diem [allowances] during this time. One was to attend a meeting in Egypt because I was not provided with anything.
“The second one was a tour with Sang Ndong and Matarr because we were travelling and going around. The third one was [for] a WAFU meeting. Those are the only three times I received per diem [allowances] during the period I spent in the GFF.
“Since 2014 up to now, so per diem is not something that GFF pays easily,” said the GFF’s second vice president.
Faye dismissed the concern that critics have of Gambia playing in Morocco instead of Senegal. He explained that when travelling with the national team, per diem is not given as everything necessary is already provided.
The Gambia National team will be playing at home in Morocco against Congo Republic in the final game of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers for the Ivory Coast next year. Ebou Faye, the second vice president of the federation, is expected to fly with the team to Morocco.
