OFFICIAL STATEMENT: GFF Response to National Assembly Sports Committee

The Gambia Football Federation informs the general public and its stakeholders that it has received a formal communiqué from the National Assembly Sports Committee requesting the Football House to ‘without conditions’ comply with the National Sports Council purported investigative team on GFF matters.

The GFF wishes to make it clear that it recognizes the NAM Select Committee on Sports which was established by an act of parliament. However, it is worth noting that the refusal of the Federation not to be part of this illegal process to investigate our internal affairs is because the Act does not give the Council the mandate to undertake such task against the GFF or any National Sports Association in The Gambia and it is this refusal that led to the NSC’s decision to suspend the leadership of the Federation on November 9^th 2017.

The Gambia Football Federation is nonpartisan and this stems from the fact that it is upholding the spirit of FIFA fair play and our desire to developing the game in the country. Our refusal to not cooperate with the purported investigation mounted by the National Sports Council is also premised on the FIFA letter addressed to the President of the GFF on the 22nd November, 2017, which emphasized that in accordance with art. 14 par. 1 let. i), and par. 3, and art. 19 par. 1 of the FIFA Statutes, all Member Associations, including the GFF, are obliged to manage their affairs independently and without undue influence from any third party.

Therefore the National Assembly’s position on this matter is contrary to FIFA’s demand and thus the GFF cannot co-operate with their request.

The general public and football stakeholders are therefore informed that the Gambia Football Federation’s position on this matter is unchanged and none of its members of entities will be part of this.

We were hoping that after the intervention of the Executive and the press conference convened by the Chairman of the National Sports Council on November 29, 2017, would have finally put the matter to bed, but neither the Council, nor the Honorable Minister have still formerly written to notify us of their decision to lift the purported suspension and discontinue the investigations. We, therefore, hope that this matter would finally be put to bed so as to refocus all our energies, collectively, into the development of football in the country. Failure of this will only destabilize, unnecessary as it may be, our football, thus contributing to retard the development of our national game.