By Lamin Njie
President Adama Barrow said ‘you can say you’ve never seen a lion but to say you have never heard of its name would be a lie’, as he insisted Alhagie Momodou Njie Biri Biri is a lion who made ‘every’ effort to fly the flag of the nation high.
Thousands of Gambians on Wednesday converged at the Arch in Banjul for the official sending off of Biri Biri who died at a Dakar hospital on Sunday 19 July aged 72.
President Barrow who presided over the event described Biri Biri as a ‘lion’ who toiled hard to fly the nation’s flag high.
“Biri was a lion on the pitch and off the pitch,” the president said of the fallen legend.
The president had earlier on said of Biri in a prepared speech: “As death is inevitable, we cannot but celebrate the fulfilling life Alhagie Biri Biri lived.
“He sacrificed for his country and made every effort to fly the Gambian flag high in the footballing world.”
Earlier on, Mass Axi Gai who played in the national team with Biri Biri said while him and Biri didn’t start their footballing careers in the same team, fate brought them together in the national team.
“I was a defender with the late Leon Prom and Biri was our strike. We continued playing but I left football before him to continue my professional work at the Ports Authority and he continued with his profession as a footballer,” Gai said.
Biri Biri’s brother Bekai Njie said his brother lived a life of humility.
“He was so humble that all of his chatting sessions are with kids, not his age mates,” the younger Njie said.
