Minister of Youth and Sport Bakary Badjie has clarified that the 11.1 million dalasis government drew to give to the country’s players for qualifying for the AFCON was used in other projects.
The Scorpions made a lot of noise including refusing to meet President Barrow over 11 million dalasis the government wanted to give them. They insisted the money was small – and the government then used the money in other projects including the Olympics.
Gambia international Ebrima Sohna complained that the government is yet to give them their money even after writing to the government to do so. He said the players have now agreed to take the money.
Sport Minister Bakary Badjie told The Fatu Network: “On the side of the money, the cheque was presented there [at State House] and then by the time we were going into the ceremony that morning, that’s when we knew they were not coming but we still went ahead with the presentation.
“The way we deal with the GFF is we transfer money to the sport council and then the sport council will transfer it to the GFF. When the players came out and said they don’t want the money and the GFF management and everybody tried to talk to them and they insisted that they don’t want the money, government does not have money lying down in places unused.
“So the money stayed there like a month and they held on to their position that they don’t want it. Eventually we used it on our ongoing projects. The time I authorised for them to use the money, two three days after a communication came from them that they have negotiated among themselves and that majority of them have agreed.
“I told them to write officially and withdraw their first letter and say they now want it and they did that. But by the time that came in, we had already used part of that money on our ongoing work. In fact the Olympics was supported from there as well. So now they have to wait until we have the money and we can pay back the money. A journalist asked me that question during the press conference and I said that government doesn’t keep money waiting.
“The other part that nawettan is not taking place and he [Ebrima Sohna] is not blaming the GFF… He is not being fair on that. That’s not the ministry’s role, that’s the GFF’s role and it’s the GFF that is engaged in the renovation of the football fields. So if he says he is not blaming the GFF, I don’t know who he is going to blame on that.”
