The General Secretary of the Gambia Football Federation Lamin M Jassey has on Wednesday March 21st met with members of the Press at the GFF Board Room in Kanifing on a wide range of issues surrounding Football development in the Gambia.
The first interface meeting for the GFF General Secretary took off with a brief background of the CEO’s skills and background that earned him the substantive position of General Secretary of the country’s Football Secretariat with his appointment effective in January, 2018.
Mr Jassey said his coming back to the Gambia is premised on the backdrop of giving back to Football and contribute positively to national development. ‘ I am not a new person in the GFF and football in general. I was administrative Secretary at the GFF before i left for studies to the UK where i earned my Diploma, Degree and Masters. So i have returned to where i rightfully belong to’, Jassey explained.
Mr Jassey said as part of his first assignment since assuming Office in January was to embark on a Regional tour where he familiarized himself with Regional Football Associations. ‘ The tour was a fruitful one hence my interaction with the stakeholders and the different structures at the regions because the GFF has now decentralized Football across the country. So i was able to acquaint myself with both their successes and constraints’.
Mr Jassey expounded on his ‘ strategic governance’ and says it is the new paradigm shift and will be a collective responsibility for all his members of staff to take ownership of football in the country.’ My doctrine is strategic governance, in other words collectivism with the Senior Management Team by involving everyone in a functional manner’, he said.
He called on government through the President His Excellency Mr Adama Barrow to come to the aid of the Football federation and assist in the areas of finance hence according to him national teams are the property of government. ‘ Football is now a corporate industry and so it very expensive and i must tell you that the GFF is solely bankrolling all the national teams without a dime from government and that is why i call on the President of the country Mr Adama Barrow and his government to come to our aid because it is really difficult to continue sustaining the commitments of our national teams’.
Mr Jassey paid homage to the GFF President Lamin Kabba Bajo for introducing him to both CAF and FIFA at their respective meetings where he met key stakeholders in continental and global football. ‘ The CAF and FIFA Meetings were so significant to me because i was formally introduced to FIFA President Gianni Infantino and CAF President Ahmed and other important people that matter in world football including my colleague General Secretaries from around the world’.
Mr Jassey also informed the Press that the Football Hotel in Yundum is full time operational and as such ‘ it is for income generating and also for our national teams camping and other international guests’. He said the Three Star facility is managed by a highly competent and qualified staff headed by Mr Lamin Sanneh. ‘ We have changed plans to have our National Team accommodated there because we have realized that the team is not been introduced to the new upgraded facility before their flying to Banjul. But is our wish that all our national teams will be housed at the Football Hotel by the next time we host an international match’.
The GFF General Secretary concluded the presser by thanking the GFF Executive through the President for motivating staff at all levels. He said the ExCO has availed itself with an opened door policy to help staff to be motivated in carrying out their assignments. He said this is created in the form of mobility, office equipment and other essential amenities meant for staff motivation.
