Kenya Football .:. Story - Why Kenya Needs To Do It Like The Gambia

Why Kenya needs to do it like The Gambia - kenyafootball.com image

By Patrick Korir

14th July 09 - How sometimes I wish Kenya can do it like the Gambia. The Gambia? Yes, The Gambia.

With many years of trying, achieving petite but missing out on a bundle, it’s time Kenya does a wire to West Africa – to have a deep peep at The Gambia.

The relatively small Nation with a populace of just about 1.7 M persons largely draws its economy from farming, tourism and fishing.

Forget the farming, tourism and fishing et al, The Gambia is slowly but surely becoming the Nation to watch in the Worlds’ most popular game - Soccer.

Really? Yes, they have drawn a road map from a rugby tale – the best tackles are from below. And with that low undertake, The Gambia is slowly but certainly hounding down the ‘big wigs’ off the soccer scene from the Youth tourneys. And that’s just for now.

While the Senior National Soccer team is yet to inflict a major sting its babies – the Baby Scorpion (U17) and the young Scorpions (U20) have left many with sore wounds in the very recent past. And that’s the sting that will become perfect and extremely poisonous as the babies become fully grown in the very near future. I challenge all the bookers to my anecdote.

“The Gambia is no more the small fry and feeble opponent that we were once classified by many of our neighbors” quotes Mustapha Kah, a renowned journalist from The Gambia.

What happens in The Gambia may not be unique to other countries in Africa and the World over but having been an insignificant small fish and suddenly grown to proportions of a killer shark, The Gambia deserves respect and a closer watch.

CAF U17 & U20

Since the establishment of the CAF U17 in 1995, The Gambia missed out on the final eight that made the U17 Youth Championship on the first four occasions (1995, 97, 99 & 2001) but appeared in the 2003 edition to pick just one win (1-0) over Ethiopia and fell to Nigeria and Cameroon to miss out on the semis.

The baby Scorpions came out of the sand and picked up on their performance in 2003 and as hosts in 2005, perfected their sting to make it to the semis with wins over Burkina Faso (1-0) and Mali (3-2). The team then brushed South Africa aside in the semis (2-1) before seeing off a fancied Ghana 1-0 in the finals to avenge on a similar score during the preliminary rounds.

As African Youth Champs, Gambia went on to grace the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Peru in 2005 and claimed an unimaginable victory over Brazil before running over Qatar.

“Nobody gave the novices much of a chance, especially when the first game saw them pitched in at the deep end against reigning world champions Brazil. But the Gambians upset the form books, pulling off a sensational 3-1 win (against Brazil) that made the football world stand up and take notice,” was part of a statement on FIFA’s official site.

As defending Champions, Gambia surprisingly missed out on the 2007 African Youth Championship held in Lome Togo after a 4-0 loss in the qualifiers to Senegal. But The Gambia bounced back to reclaim the trophy in early April 2009 blanking the hosts Algeria 3-1 in the finals. The side only conceded a goal (in the finals) and outscored their opponents 13-1. Gambia’s U17 will once again be in the FIFA U17 World Cup to be held in Nigeria in October 2009.

“it is also imperative for us to underline that this victory should not be an end in itself, but a means to an end” adds Mustapha Kah

With a strong U17 side, it only totes up that the next stratum, the U20 will blossom. Despite missing out on all the U20 Youth Championship held every two years from 1991, The Gambia romped into the last eight of the U20 in 2007 event made up largely with the winning squad from the U17 team of 2005.

The Young Scorpions of Gambia beat Cote D’Ivoire, hosts Congo and Burkina Faso without conceding a goal to top Group A. Nigeria spoilt the party in the semis beating the side by a single goal. But being amongst the four best teams, Gambia went on to represent Africa in the 16th edition of the U20 FIFA World Cup held in Canada in June 2007. Historic wins over Portugal (2-1) and New Zealand (1-0) compensated a loss to Mexico and guaranteed Gambia a pre-quarters berth in their first attempt – but lost to Austria 2-1 to miss out on the quarters.

* Gambia's Omar OJ Koroma of Portsmouth during a loan spell at Norwich City

Why the success in Gambia?

A sports policy & Action plan, Organization, good preparations, money and the will to excel – that’s where it all begins.

Football in Gambia has tremendously improved following developments in several sectors. There has been a coordinated effort from the society, the Department of Sports, the Secretaries of State, parliamentarians, the team in question, the coaches, the technical team, the Gambian Football Association (GFA) and above all the president of the country; Sheikh Professor Dr. Yahya Jammeh who supports the teams in kind and in material.

The Gambia has a Sports Policy and Action Plans that spans 10 years. Just a few days back, the 2009-2018 plan was developed and adopted. The first role will be to tackle the challenges faced in the last ten years and provide direction for the next decade.

The National Sports Council collaborates with the Ministry of Youth and Sports with relevant stakeholders (such as the private sector) with a single objective of attaining excellence in Sports with participation from especially the grass roots.

Narrowing to Soccer, Youth football academies have been set up across the country which contributes a lot in the development of football in the country. Besides, the National league factors in youthful players to its ranks which provide early exposure.

According to Gambia Sports portal, "You don't see anyone over the age of 23 in the National league. The players are all between 16 and 21. If you don't make it by then, you go out and get a real job."

The selection process by the Gambia Football Association and Technical committee for the teams is done across the country meaning every sphere’s potential is given a chance to make the final team.

Gambia is surrounded by Seneal on its three sides, literally. There is however no question that money flows from all sides to support the baby, young or the real scorpion. In the run up to the recently ended youth Championship in Algeria, the Gambia spent a full months training in Egypt before heading to lift the trophy against Algeria in the finals. Such trips for the youngsters are not alien, they are a norm.

The investment and preparation handsomely paid off as the team lifted the crown leaving the scene as the only unbeaten side. And for the success, the team was handsomely rewarded (by the president) on return home and a one day public holiday was declared for all of Gambia to savor the achievement of its babies. Like the beaches lining up the country, football is indeed lining up golden moments for The Gambia.

Kenyan failures

A Sports policy & Action plan, Organization, good preparations, money and the will to excel – that’s where Kenya thuds the ground hard - head first, feet up.

No policies, no action plans, disorganization, ill preparations, perennial ‘luck of funds’ and a quarter-hearted will to excel culminates in a very bad mix, hence Kenyan failures.

The most neglected aspect of the Kenyan game is structures, lack of that is. The game is spruced up with wrangles, selfishness, greed, federation wars, no vision, self ambitions and politics amongst those entrusted with the game. As evidence to that, at no time has a Kenyan Youth team had ample preparations for any tourney.

In 2007, Kenya sent its Youth team to the CECAFA U20 in Burundi on a 24 hour bus ride to land just hours before a game. What’s worse, the team and the Coaching staff were named two days before the tourney, a period enough to only get travel paper work.

The same befell the U17 side that went to the same Burundi for an U17 CECAFA tourney in 2008. With a day to go, Mathare Youth Sports Association team that had just landed from a Norway tournament was dispatched to represent Kenya (plus a few additions) as there had been no team selected to represent the country.

Year in year out, the same seems to happen – too much talk on Youth structures but nothing concrete being done. Strangely, it is believed that FIFA dishes Kenya $50,000 (Approx Kshs. 40 M) each year for youth development. Where the monies go is a conversation I will let those privy to the federation accounts indulge me.

While Gambia is a regular entrant to the African Youth tourneys, Kenya has NEVER made it to the last eight of any youth CAF event. But as a consolation there is CECAFA Youth tourneys that Kenya attends – by default of being a CECAFA member. But for many, CECAFA has teams of a lower cadre compared to the rest in Africa.

Worthy of note, Kenya has some of the best Academies training youths from the ages of four onwards. Beyond Academies which are privately owned, the schools sports system organized by the Kenya Secondary School Sports Association (KSSSA) is one of the best. Out of the schools system some of the country’s best talents emerge each year.

But is there a transition from schools onwards? Your answer is as good as mine. After the very competitive high school years, a few will find their way into Premier league clubs and many others will ‘retire’ early and live to talk about ‘in our days’ for the rest of their lives as they deteriorate from athletism to pot belly bearers.

Ebrima Bojang

What’s most admirable about the Gambia is the fact that from below, the country is exposing its Youth to the outside leagues – Europe and otherwise as well as shaking the status quo. What was a preserve of the like of Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon and Egypt is slowly shifting to the tiny Gambia.

With each youth appearance, the entire squad is exposed to the shopping Window - scouted players get to move to clubs away from Gambia.

In the recently concluded Youth Championship in Algeria (April 2009), where Gambia beat hosts Algeria 3-1, the golden boot winner (five goals) – 16 year old Ebrima Bojang was immediately offered a trial by Jose Mourinho at Inter Milan as well as Harry Rednknapp at Tottenham Hotspurs in the English Premiership.

That’s not to mention many other offers and opportunities that knocked for the other players. Bojang finally landed at French side St. Etienne who took him on a four year contract without a trial - he had done enough at the tournament.

Progression

Despite Gambia not having a name that you can pick out easily like Dennis Oliech of Kenya (pictured above), with a quick search you will find a Gambian or more, at best a youth, in each of the leagues in Europe and beyond – Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, US (MLS & USL), Belgium’s Jupiler League, Austria, Russia, Switzerland, Holland, Qatar, Germany’s Bundesliga 2 and even the English Premier League (Omar OJ Koroma - Portsmouth - pictured at the top). Though the players are yet to infiltrate the other high leagues; Spanish La Liga, Italy’s Serie A and Germany Bundesliga, it’s all but a matter of time.

Comparatively very few Kenyan players can be counted in Europe’s top leagues and it’s no fault on their part. Instead a great chunk of Kenyan players will be found in Scandinavian second leagues with age that will not allow them to move any further. Kenyans have always missed out, and continue to miss out on the gravy train that the Gambians now ride on to get to the highest leagues.

The progression from the Gambia’s youth teams is slowly having an influence on the senior team – the Scorpions. In the Second round of the 2010 World Cup/Nations Cup qualifiers played between March and October 2008, The Gambia finished second to Algeria in Group D – winning twice, posting three draws and loosing just once to Algeria to finish second in the Group ahead of Senegal and Liberia.

Irony

So good was Gambia’s performance that a 1-1 draw in the sixth and last tie of the second phase on October 10th 08 in Dakar denied Senegal – a 2006 World Cup team an entry into the third round qualifiers. Gambia could have made it to the next phase of qualifiers as one of the eight best runners up if only Kenya had avoided defeat in Conakry Guinea. While Kenya qualified despite a 3-2 loss in Conakry, they did a great disservice to a country that, ironically, they need to learn from.

With every rise in the Gambian game, the country continues to rise in rankings. In 2005, the country was at its worst – ranked 164 by FIFA. But with the upped ante in their recent football, The Gambia rose to its best ever ranking – 65 in May 09 – a milestone.

Jesus?

I am reminded of the late German Coach Reinhardt Fabisch back in 1997 who said that even if Kenya had Jesus as the National team coach, the country will never see the World Cup. Reason? Kenya lacks structures and organization. Years on we are struggling to regularly revisit the Africa Cup of Nations and dreaming of ever playing in the World Cup.

While I want to be sanguine that Kenya can get systems that will work, my clear mind tells me either to have hope or no hope. I will therefore not sit in-between with false hope.

That said, just how I wish our youth could get the necessary opportunity to start, have their talents nurtured and exposed in their soccer careers. And my take is; Kenya needs to do it like the Gambia.

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