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Gambia : The Gambia Fanbase: A Historic Effort

In the years to come, the FIFA World U-17 Championship in Peru and the African Youth Championship, Congo 2007 will be seen as the points at which The Gambia fans emerged as a force on the International football scene.

In an unparalleled show of support for The Gambia U-17 and U-20 National teams, fans from around The Gambia made their presence felt in ways never before seen or heard. In Peru particularly, The Gambian fans staked their claim amongst those supporters of traditional football powers, and for those who witnessed the comprehensively positive effects of this fan support, it was a truly inspiring and gratifying experience.

To all the fans who participated in this experience of the FIFA World U-17 Championship, 2005 and the 15th African Youth Championship, The Gambia Football Association offers an overwhelming “Thank You”. We understand the great effort and sacrifice it required for hundreds of you who travelled to Peru and Congo to get off from work, use your valuable time and travel across continents to be there and root on The Gambia. We truly appreciate your effort.

Certainly, this support will be remembered fondly by all those who witnessed it and will serve as a benchmark for support of our National teams in the future.

Specifically, those fans that travelled to Peru and Congo did more than hold their own with The Gambia’s Championship opponents. By no means should International fandom be viewed as a type of competition, as it is obviously more important to recognise the spirit of collectiveness and camaraderie that an event like a Championship creates. However, it cannot go unnoticed that the fans of our National team contributed an unprecedented amount of support to this event and spectacle.

During The Gambia’s three games, the country’s colours were belted out passionately by those in attendance. Impressively, the singing of our National Anthem and traditional songs at each game was louder and more vociferous than the match before. By the time the first whistle signalled the beginning of our last match, it seemed as if everyone in the stadium was singing along.

Moreover, the Gambian fans in Peru exhibited an element of diversity that was yet unseen in The Gambia’s football history. A variety of outfits colours and chants - both in and out of the stadia - punctuated our country’s presence in both Peru and Congo. No longer did it seem that fans were reverting to the rote simplicity of the ubiquitous “we are hot very, very hot’ chant. Rather, an unparalleled amount of creativity oozed out of the Gambian fan base to complement amazing numbers in the stands.

Nowhere was this more apparent than in the game against Brazil. Against a traditional football power whose fans have commanded the same respect as the team itself, The Gambian supporters refused to be overmatched. Even when the situation on the field looked increasingly dire, the fans never gave up hope. Their passion, voices and overall enthusiasm for their team perhaps made the difference as the Gambians on the field dug deep within themselves to stave off the increasingly mounting Brazilian attacks. In the end, The Gambia won by 3 - 1 goals and a historic victory in its first world outing - a huge achievement that led them to bronze in Congo. The fans were an equal part of this history and deserve to share the glory with those on the field.

In the end, to see so many dedicated Gambian football supporters travelling overseas - thanks to the benevolence of President Yahya Jammeh - and making their presence felt in ways only dreamed about by those involved with the sport for so long in this country is simply incredible.

Thank you for your support and we will see you on the road to Canada 2007.