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The Gambian Scorpions did not shy away from their pleasure after the historic success obtained in Limbé on Wednesday January 12 against the Mourabitounes (1-0), thanks to a goal from Ablie Jallow. To reach the knockout stages of the African Cup of Nations (CAN), the players will have to win on January 16 against Mali, who defeated Tunisia (1-0). “It’s a stronger opponent than Mauritania, we will have to be even more disciplined”, warns Flemish coach Tom Saintfiet.
His team, he knows, has come a long way. Located at 150and place in the FIFA rankings, the Gambian selection is participating for the first time in its history in the final phase of the CAN. A qualification won in March 2021 to everyone’s surprise in the Independence Stadium in Bakau. “People were overjoyed, remembers midfielder Ablie Jallow, who plays in Seraing (Belgium). No one expected The Gambia to qualify in such a strong group. And finishing in first place! »
Before facing the Eagles of Mali, fifty-third nation in the world according to FIFA, Tom Saintfiet is reasonably optimistic. ” We have proven for more than three years that we can compete with the best, provided we are rigorous, focused and very organized », he points out.
A new coach
But whatever its course in the competition, the national team had never been in a position to break through, and this since the independence of the small English-speaking country landlocked in Senegal in 1965. The Scorpions were only engaged in six times in the CAN playoffs. For lack of resources, the Gambian federation had even taken the habit of not registering its team for the qualifications or of forfeiting before the first matches.
It took until the election of Lamin Kaba Bajo as head of the federation in 2014 for things to change. “The resources arrived little by little. There was the desire to carry out a long-term project”, remembers the Swiss Raoul Savoy, coach of the Scorpions from 2015 to 2016.
After the interim provided by Gambian Sang Ndong (2016-2018), the federation entrusted Tom Sainfiet with the reins of the national team. With one goal: to make him climb the ladder of African football.
The Flemish, aged 48, is experienced in delicate missions: he has already trained Yemen, Bangladesh, Malawi, Ethiopia and Namibia. To revive the Gambian selection, he made the choice to retain only players playing abroad, and mainly in Europe.
Rely on international players
“There are more than a hundred Gambian footballers in good leagues like Italy, Switzerland, Belgium or Spain. Even if I remain attentive to what is happening in the Gambian championship, I prefer to rely on internationals accustomed to the high level “, explains the technician.
And the method paid off: the Scorpions’ first match with their new coach ended in a draw against Algeria (1-1) on September 8, 2018. “This result meant a lot for the future, because it gave a lot of confidence to a team that had lost the habit of winning. Hooking Algeria twice, since we drew on the return six months later (1-1), beating Benin (3-1), then Morocco (1-0) at home in a friendly before the CAN, everything it allowed the players to believe more in themselves, to tell themselves that they could compete with the best”, says the coach.
“But this performance should not remain the exception. The Gambia must regularly aim for a presence in the final phase, especially in 2023 in Côte d’Ivoire. We must have the ambition to be regular, not to have just made a move “, concludes Tom Saintfiet, whose contract, which expired in June 2021, was extended for five years after qualification.
