Opinion Article:
The Ministry and Minister of Youths and Sports’ latest response to concerns about the neglect of Gambian youths and the national football team, the Scorpions, regrettably prioritises political deflection over addressing systemic failures. While the Ministry boasts of financial contributions to the Scorpions’ AFCON campaigns, which is their responsibility anyway, it sidesteps the urgent issue of the Scorpion’s three-year exile from home matches and the stagnation of critical infrastructure projects. Below, we dissect the Ministry’s claims and refocus the debate on accountability and action.
1. The Scorpions’ Exile: A National Embarrassment Unaddressed
For three years, the Scorpions have been unable to play a single competitive home match in The Gambia due to the unfinished renovation of the Independence Stadium. This is not merely an inconvenience; it is a national embarrassment. While the Ministry claims the stadium’s remodelling is “soon to be completed,” it has offered no concrete timeline or explanation for the prolonged delay. Blaming past administrations, including my role on the stadium board from 2011–2015, does not absolve the current government of its eight-year tenure since 2017. If the Barrow NPP KERENG KAFFO administration inherited a dilapidated stadium, why has it taken until 2025 and counting to resolve the issue? The Gambian public deserves answers, not excuses.
2. Broken Promises: Mini-Stadiums Launched, Never Delivered
Apart from the Independence Stadium saga, the Minister of Youth and Sports has ceremoniously laid foundation stones for multiple mini stadia across the country for the past 3 years. To date, not one of these projects has been completed. These high-profile launches, accompanied by media fanfare, have become symbols of unfulfilled promises. If the Ministry insists on chastising local councils for inaction, it must first explain its failure to deliver on its pledges. Empty gestures cannot substitute for tangible progress.
3. KMC’s Serrekunda West Mini Stadium Project: Who Sabotaged It?
The Ministry’s criticism of UDP-led councils ignores documented successes. For instance, the Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC), under a UDP Mayor, partnered with Africell to build public parks and initiated the upgrade of Serrekunda West Mini-Stadium to FIFA standards and succeeded in creating eight parks in total, youths of KMC are enjoying these parks. The Serrekunda West Mini-Stadium project was abruptly halted. The critical question is: Who sabotaged it? The Barrow NPP Kereng Kaffo government deliberately withheld subventions to local governments to stifle their development aspirations and, therefore, exposed the troubling pattern of centralising blame while decentralising responsibility.
4. Local vs. Central Government: A Flawed Narrative
The Ministry’s attempt to shift blame to local councils is ironic and disingenuous. While UDP councils like KMC have demonstrated initiative, even amid limited resources, the central government controls the bulk of public funding and oversees national projects like the Independence Stadium. Moreover, CAF and FIFA standards for stadium renovations are mandates that require centralised coordination and budgeting. To suggest that local councils bear equal responsibility for international-standard facilities is misleading. The current UDP-led local governments are doing much better than the NPP KERENG KAFFO government is doing for the youths of this country. What did the Minister of Youths and Sport do for the youths while serving as the APRC Nominated Youth Councillor at KMC from 2008 to 2013? Nada.
5. AFCON Funding: A Distraction from Domestic Neglect
While the Ministry rightly highlights its financial support for the Scorpions’ AFCON campaigns, this does not offset its failure to invest in sustainable domestic infrastructure. The D230 million spent on AFCON participation could have been partially allocated to accelerate stadium renovations or complete mini-stadium projects. True sports development requires balancing international prestige with grassroots growth.
The Gambian youth and sports sector needs solutions, not scapegoats. We urge the Ministry to:
* Publish a clear timeline for the Independence Stadium’s completion and the Scorpions’ return.
* Accelerate work on stalled mini-stadiums to convert foundation stones into functional facilities.
* Collaborate—not clash—with local councils, supporting initiatives like KMC’s Serrekunda West project instead of obstructing them.
President Barrow’s KERENG KAFFO legacy in sports will be judged not by press releases but by whether the Scorpions finally play on home soil and whether Gambian youths gain access to the facilities they deserve. It is time to replace deflection with delivery. The Minister of Youths and Sports is a failure and should consider resigning. He failed the youths of this country.
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