The Ministry of Youth & Sports, through the National Sports Council, yesterday announced the appointment of Johnathan McKinstry as the new head coach of The Gambia National Team, on a two-year contract starting 1st June 2024.
McKinstry, 38, is currently the Coach of Gor Mahia Football Club in Kenya, whom he led to two successive Kenyan premier league titles. He is tasked with ensuring Gambia a qualification to the 2025 African Cup of Nations in Morocco but he will begin his tenure with two 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Seychelles and Gabon next month.
McKinstry, who won the title last season by just a solitary point, has delivered the ultimate price again by winning the title with an unassailable 11-point lead with three games to go. As a result, he has been credited for restoring Gor Mahia’s lost reputation, with the most successful Kenyan club having gone three years without lifting a league title.
Johnathan who was born on 16th July 1985 in Lisburn. He has a wealth of African football experience having previously coached the Sierra Leone, Rwanda and Uganda national teams. With the Ugandan Cranes, he achieved an impressive 67% winning rate from the 18 matches that he oversaw as Head Coach as well as guiding them to the 2019 CECAFA Challenge Cup triumph, an equivalent of the WAFU Cup of Nations.
However, before that, he guided Sierra Leone to their highest ever position on the FIFA World Rankings to 50th. With Rwanda, he secured them their first away win in four years which was secured against Mozambique in the 2017 AFCON qualifying. Under his guidance, Rwanda finished as runners up in the 2015 CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup, defeating powerhouses like Kenya, Ethiopia and Sudan along the way. He was also named Coach of that Tournament. He also oversaw their quarterfinal appearance at the 2016 CHAN.
He has an impressive win rate of 51% across the previous three national teams that he has coached, thus, securing him the best winning record as an international football coach for any Northern Irish. He is also the first person from his country to manage three different national teams.
“I was deeply involved in the whole recruitment process and the negotiations and Johnathan came across as a very reasonable person who has a great passion and knowledge of Gambian football and our footballers and that was one of the reasons that drew us to him,” Lamin M. Jassey the Chief Executive Officer of The Gambia Football Federation, told the GFF Media.
“He also has a high degree of knowledge and experience in African football too. This is evident by the fact that throughout his career, he has spent a great deal of that time coaching in the continent. I have no doubt that he is the best man for the job at this point in time.”
Johnathan was part of 91 applicants for the position following the resignation of Belgian Tom Saintfiet. The list included some renowned names from across the globe from places like Italy, France, Belgium, Great Britain, Portugal, Spain, Brazil, Argentina and Eastern Europe. The recruitment process was overseen by the Technical & Development Committee of the GFF and also comprised of members from the Ministry of Youth & Sports.
“The Ministry were involved in this process from the very beginning, including person specification, advertisement, shortlisting, interviewing and negotiating and it is one of the most transparent processes that I have been involved in,” Mr. Jassey added. “It goes to show the degree and level of cooperation and collaboration between the GFF and MOYS, especially on issues concerning National Team matters.”
Mr. McKinstry is expected in the country this Saturday 25th May 2024 after which he will be unveiled to the Gambian public through the form of a press conference. He will then announce his inaugural squad that will play against Seychelles in Berkane, Morocco and Gabon in Franceville.