The President of The Gambia Football Federation (GFF), Mr. Lamin Kabba Bajo, with regret, announces the death of Alhaji Omar Sey, who goes by his sobriquet Uncle OS. This sad news took place on Friday morning at the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital in Banjul and would be laid to rest at 5pm following funeral processions at the Pipeline Mosque.
The late Uncle OS was the President of the then GFA when The Gambia hosted and won the 2005 African U-17 Championship in Banjul. He was also the Vice Chairman of the Normalisation Committee that oversaw the transition from The Gambia Football Association to The Gambia Football Federation.
He was an international FIFA Referee until his retirement when he took up an Executive position with the Confederation of African Football (CAF). The late OS was on the verge of becoming the President of CAF in the mid 1980s when Gambia’s first President Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara pleaded with him to take up appointed as the country’s Foreign Affairs Minister, paving the way for Issa Hayatou to take over the mantle of leadership of the continental football body. He would remain Minister in the Jawara Government until the 1994 but has never stayed away from football and until his death was an Adviser to the GFF Executive Committee.
Mr. Bajo described Uncle OS’ demise as an irreparable loss to not only Gambians in general but to the football world in particular. With a heavy heart, the GFF President said Omar Sey’s death is the saddest news for Gambian football.
In respect and consideration of the contribution he has made to football development in The Gambia in particular, and Africa and the world in general, the GFF has called off all its league matches that were scheduled to play today.