Gambia Captain Modou Jagne said Scorpions have what it takes to finally break the jinx of never featuring at a major final at senior level.
Despite a strong pedigree as an African powerhouse at youth level, with this month’s third place finish at the TOTAL U-20 AFCON as a confirmation of that, The Gambia has never qualified to an AFCON or a World Cup final at senior level throughout its 69-year-old association football history.
However, Tom Saintfiet’s charges are just within 120 minutes of history, needing a maximum four points from matches against bottom place Angola and away to the Democratic Republic of Congo to break that jinx. Even a victory at home to the Palancas Negras on March 25, coupled with a win for Gabon at home to the DR Congo will secure qualification for both sides, rendering the Kinshasa encounter with the Leopards a dead rubber match.
“It is dream for every footballer to play in a big tournament. I would love to qualify and to see my family and my two kids witness that,” Jagne, who is part of Saintfiet’s 50-man provisional list told BBC Sports in an interview.
“I hope – I am still dreaming – that this year we will qualify. It is not yet done but we still believe that we will do it.”
It is the closest that any Scorpion team had come close to securing qualification to an AFCON and Jagne, who played his entire professional carrier with clubs in Switzerland, mainly as a left-back, strongly believes in the team’s ability to get the job done.
“Whether I am there or not, I believe the boys can still do it. They have the same belief and determination that I have, so they will go out and fulfil the dream of the whole of Gambia as a nation,” the former Gambia Ports Authority protégé added.
