The Independent (Banjul)
Alhagie Mbye
24 August 2001
Banjul, the Gambia — Rico Football and Social Club has challenged the Farafenni Sport Committee to respect its official decision of November 1999 that banned Security Forces from participating in the tournament after allegedly violating rules and regulations governing the spirit of the game.
In a letter addressed to The Independent, the club claimed that the Security Forces team disrupted previous football tournaments in Farafenni and usually threatened or assaulted footballers, supporters and sport committee officials. This it explained prompted an official decision to ban them from taking part. "The committee has been receiving many abusive languages from Security Forces who have been threatening the players, even beating and insulting them. The soldiers beat Rico's key player who was hospitalised for three days" it claimed. They said for the safety of their lives, several teams decided that they would not participate, and henceforth an official decision taken to that effect.
In their letter the Farafenni youths noted that such and nawetan tournaments have been taking place peacefully in the town and that the sports committee also had a "peace of mind", but however since the inclusion of the soldiers they started having endless problems. The youths said that they have gathered that soldiers were supposed to register their team this season after the intervention of certain APRC bigwigs and as a result the committee had no other option but to yield to political pressure and allow them to participate. The youths called on officials of the committee to respect their decision that was unanimously accepted to allow youths to continue their game without risk of being "assaulted or beaten." The youths noted that Rico is seen as a rival to the Security Forces who wasted no time in confronting its players regularly.
In a strongly worded letter, the youths asked security forces to keep away from their tournaments as long as "no one could stop them when there is trouble between us."
In a letter addressed to the manager of the Security Forces team from the Farafenni Army Barracks by the Farafenni Sports Committee and signed by Ebrima Lowe and copied to all teams and the Sports Coordinator North Bank Division, the committee informed them of the ban on the team.
The letter indicated that "the committee wishes to inform you that the behaviour of most of your players, team officials and even supporters before, during and after the match was a total violation of the rules and regulations governing the year's tournament and is totally unacceptable to the committee."
The letter amongst other things also stressed that "the beating of some of the footballers, team officials and supporters of the opposing team which resulted in the admission to hospital of a footabller and the serious wounding of some supporters is a total violation of fair play and can no longer be entertained by the committee."
When contacted a senior committee official confirmed that "negotiation were underway to readmit the security forces to the game." He said that it was meant to try and create an understanding between soldiers and civilians.
"We don't hope that what used to happen will now take place" he pointed out. He called on the players of other teams to forget about the past and look to the future success of the tournament.
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