Having won the national league title, Gambian champions Fortune’s efforts were rewarded with a D750,000:00 (Seventy Hundred and Fifty Thousand) prize money and been coronated with a giant trophy at Bakau’s Independence Stadium on Sunday.
Punctuated by pomp and fanfare in front of thousands of travelling supporters, the President of The Gambia Football Federation (GFF) Mr. Lamin Kaba Bajo handed the trophy and the cheque to the Petroleum Boys amidst wild scenes of wild jubilation and chants of ole. He was joined in the podium by his first Presidents and other members of the Executive Committee.
The fact that the Federation could hand D750,000:00 to the league champions even without the luxury of a sponsorship in itself represents a remarkable commitment and seriousness from the leadership of Football House and thus deserves commendation.
The game, which brought this year’s national championship to a close, saw Fortune and Waa Banjul played an entertaining encounter. The game had everything that it could offer but the only blip was that it failed to produce a goal. The two sides wouldn’t be faulted for their lack of effort, rather their profligacy in front of goal was to be blamed for the barren score.
Fortune finished the season on 47 points after 26 matches and will now represent The Gambia at next season’s CAF Champions League while Elite United finished second and will drop into the Confederations Cup. Real de Banjul were levelled on 42 points with Elite but the 10-goal margin proved too difficult a task to overcome despite their final day 4-0 thrashing of Banjul United.
Elite went home with D300,000:00 while Real de Banjul’s efforts for finishing third was rewarded with a D150,000:00 cash prize. BK Milan also joined Tallinding United as the two relegated sides.
