By: Muhammed Lamin Drammeh
The head coach of the Gambia national team, Tom Sainfeit, has said that his team has great respect for Senegal, but they are not intimidated by them as the two nations prepare to face each other in Yamouskoro on Monday for the first time in the senior men’s Africa Cup of Nations.
During the press conference, Tom spoke alongside team captain Omar Colley, mentioning that the group The Gambia has been placed in is notoriously difficult, often referred to as the ‘group of death’. However, he stated that the Scorpions are ready to compete, despite being the lowest-ranked team in the group.
“We are in the group of death, but we are to compete. Everyone wants a good result against Senegal. We want to win tomorrow. We respect Senegal, but we are not afraid of them,” he said.
He added that the easiest game in the group for The Gambia will be against Senegal because everyone knows what’s at stake against Senegal tomorrow.
Omar Colley, the captain of the team, said a similar sentiment, noting that the players are ready to play.
“Senegal is a defending champion. We are here to play, and we are not afraid of them. The Gambia didn’t win against Senegal for a long time, but for us, we ready to defend the color of the country,” he said.
He added that the Gambia made it to the competition the hard way and that they were not in the competition just to play.
“We have qualified in the hard way, so we are not here just to play football. We are here to compete and ready to win matches. So, we are ever motivated to play tomorrow and ready to fight,” he said.
