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Gambia News : Country Know Zone II Opponents

Gambia has been drawn in Group B for this year's Zone II Amilcar Cabral championship slated to start from November 30th to December 10th in the Guinea Bissau.

The Scorpions' were drawn alongside defending Champions Guinea Conakry, Mali and Cape Verde. The biannual competition that features eight countries categorised Zone II, was last hosted by Guinea in 2005 and the Cyli National won it for the fifth time.

The Gambia who last hosted the tournament in 1997 is yet to win the sub-regional championship failing thrice at the last huddle against Senegal on all occasions. The Teranga Lions of Senegal have won the competition most, claiming it a record 8 times. The Zone II title has only evaded The Gambia and Mauritania out of the eight countries in the zone since its inception in 1979.

Scorpions' head Coach Jose Martinez and assistant Lamin Sarr have assembled a pool of home based players who have been training together for the since last month. The technicians are expected to name final list of 22 players for the tournament by at least next week.

The other group for the championship includes host country Guinea Bissau and Mauritania, together with Senegal and Sierra Leone.

The Zone II Amilcar Cabral football tournament is name after the revolutionary freedom fighter Amilcar Cabral, who led Guinea Bissau in a fierce armed struggle against Portuguese colonialism. Cabral was assassinated in the Guinean Capital Conakry, by Portuguese mercenaries just before Guinea Bissau won their independence.