MODOU LAMIN BEYAI/AIPS in Banjul: Gambia is at risk of a fast track out of international football after the Ministry of Youth and Sports disbanded the football assciation’s governing body and assigned an interim committee of its own choosing.

FIFA takes strong objection to overt political interference under the terms of the world federation’s statutes and the usual course of action is to threaten international suspension -and then carry it out. This is a potential devastating threat to administrations in the developing world.

The interim committee setup by the Ministry is headed by Alhagie Ousman B Conateh, alias Fisco, honorary life president of the GFA as chairman; Mr Omar Sey, former president of the GFA as vice-chairman; Salifu Jaiteh, former second vice-president of the GFA; Remi Joiner a banker, legal practitioners; sports journalists and representatives across all the five regions in the country.

A media release from the Ministry of Youth and Sports stated “Following the dissolution of the Gambia Football Association executive on Friday, March 2, 2012, the Ministry of Youth and Sports has taken the decision to set up an interim committee to steer the affairs of the FA till congress which is due in one year’s time.”

It attributed the action to a “lack of confidence by the government in the FA executive because Gambian football failed to make headway in continental and global competition.”

The GFA was dissolved last Friday, two days after the national team lost 2-1 at home to Algeria in the first leg of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers preliminary round.

Additional reporting: Keir Radnedge

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Originally published at www.AIPSmedia.com

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