Gainako Newspaper

Football is almost the only game played in the provinces
nowadays, and because of the popularity of the game, teams
would want to do anything to win a game. On Tuesday 21st
April 2008, Boro Kandakassey and Bajakunda locked horns
at Sutukoba playing grounds. The game was a crucial match
and both teams were eager to win the encounter.

Interestingly enough, during the first half, the crowd experienced
the collapse of two of Bajakunda's players in the field of play.
No one knew or knows the cause of their collapse. At the end
of the game, Boro Kandakassey by a lone goal to none defeated
Baja kunda.

After the crowd dispersed and the teams were said to have gone to their various villages, over 14
other people among them none players also collapsed until they were hospitalized at the Bajakunda
Health Center. Seven of them were players of Baja.

This reporter was eager to hear the reasons behind the collapse of these people. When He contacted
a player at Bajakunda, the player opined that they were charmed by the Boro people and that was
why they had all collapsed. He was however unable to say how that had happened.

On more enquires, the reporter was reliably informed on how the whole thing had happened. The
story went like this. The Boro people they said had gone to see one marabout by the name of Bakary
somewhere across the border in Senegal who gave them concoctions and charms; that the charms
were be planted in a hole under a tree 11 feet away from the part of the field they the Boro team were
to play their first match. This they said was done with much precision. But word had reached the Baja
kunda people of the charm, which propelled them into action to find out the whereabouts of the said
charm before done but to no avail.

According to my informants, the Baja kunda people had done everything they could but could not see
the charm; that they were forced to play the game despite their knowledge of the charm with much
reluctance.

This reporter made all efforts to find out if the marabout might have given the players some
concoctions, which may have some kind of drug in it that could make them to collapse, but this was
rejected by my interviewees.

A health worker however told my informants that all they did was to give some water through injection
to the players which helped them to be conscious again; that all the 14 people have become conscious
again. My informant said the others who collapsed in Baja kunda village itself had received the reading
of the Koran on a chapter called "YASIN" but could not say whether they have become conscious or
not.

..The Watchman on Observer's Editorial
.............................By Lamin J Darbo........................April 26th, 2008
Dear Editor:
The Observer's editorial is admittedly devoid of substance and
sophistication, but even if tangentially; it does touch on a quite
pertinent issue.

Notwithstanding the views of The Watchman, western money in the form of foreign direct investment
(FDI) has no necessary interest in the promotion of human rights and democracy. The profit motive is
the main attraction, and international capital goes where there is money to be made. Every other
consideration is secondary.

As for United Nations (UN) peacekeepers, The Watchman's argument is incomplete. The UN is a
world body, and under Chapter VII of its Charter, the Security Council has an obligation to intervene
where it deems a clear threat to international peace and security exists. Any deployment of UN
peacekeepers to Darfur, or other conflict zones, must be seen as a fulfillment of that mandate.
Suffice to say that the Gambia Government signed the Rome Statute - the Treaty setting up the
International Criminal Court in The Hague - on 07 December 1998, and deposited its ratification
instrument on 28 June 2002, three days before it came into force on 01 July 2002.

As of now, the Court has jurisdiction to try allegations pertaining to Genocide, War Crimes, and
Crimes Against Humanity. It also has jurisdiction to try Aggression, if, and when, the definition of that
crime is agreed by the ICC's assembly of state parties. In the ordinary run of events, aggression, either
directly or by proxy, is likely to be committed by global military powers. If in 2002 the ICC is barred
from considering allegations of Aggression because a definition could not be agreed for the crime,
where was the justification in the internationalized German (Nuremberg), and Japanese (Tokyo)
post-war tribunals prosecuting the leaders of those countries for, among other charges, the crime of
waging 'aggressive' wars. There is no question that international justice has disturbing selectivity about
it.
Of the 194 members of the United Nations, 105 have acceded to the Rome Statute. For now, major
states including the USA, Russia, China, India, Iran, etc., refused to ratify the Rome Statute, and are
therefore exempt from the jurisdiction of the ICC. In light of the Observer editorial, I wonder why the
Gambia, along with many African countries, accepted the jurisdiction of the ICC. A former militia
leader in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was the first indictee of the ICC, for, among other
things, recruitment of child soldiers in that country's devastating civil war.

Although the concept is the same, Charles Taylor is actually on trial before the Special Court for
Sierra Leone specially sitting in The Hague, for alleged crimes associated with that country's
eleven-year civil war. In a nutshell, the crux of the article is not easily dismissible since the
overwhelming number of defendants - for the foreseeable future at least - are likely to come from
Africa, and from countries in other 'insignificant' continents.

Nevertheless, The Watchman should be able to argue against the Observer editorial on the grounds
that at the heart of the ICC is the principle of complementarity, meaning that the Court will only
intervene if a national jurisdiction is either unable, or unwilling to prosecute alleged international
criminals. In other words, the ICC's jurisdiction is residual, and only kicks in when a national judicial
system is incapacitated for whatever reason. It is also worthwhile to remind the Observer that African
countries like the Gambia acceded to the Rome Statute of their free sovereign will.

If we accept that the Observer highlights a legitimate issue, we should nevertheless ask whether
African leaders are right in shielding former despots like Chad's Hissene Habre, in Senegal effectively
under house arrest, from judicial accountability. If the African Union, in light of his aborted indictment
(the Cour de Cassation, Senegal 's court of final appeals, upheld a jurisdictional bar to Senegal
prosecuting Habre) manifests reluctance to prosecute him for torture, and crimes against humanity,
there should be no resistance to the extradition request from Belgium under its universal jurisdiction
laws.

Lamin J Darbo

.............................................................NEWS
...........OVER 200,000
......CHILDREN OUT OF SCHOOL IN THE GAMBIA;
.....................-" End Exclusion Now "
................................By Solo, Banjul Correspondent.............April 25th, 2008
As the world thinks about the Global Week of Action, which
commenced on 21st April in the Gambia and around the world
organized by Education for all network {EFANet}, this reporter
went around checking what some of the children are doing at the
moment.

When I first got on the road, I noticed a very small boy, about
the age of 11 years in a passenger van acting as an apprentice
driver, shouting Banjul! Banjul!! I decided to join that vehicle
up to Banjul, the Gambian capital.

This small boy managed to give back the change of all those
who gave him higher denominations than the required fee. He
is a very smart guy. As I dropped at the garage in Banjul,
another young man came rushing to their vehicle who started
shouting "ayi waa" Tabokoto! Ayi waa tabookoto!!. Then I
saw the apprentice boy stood aside. So I capitalized on his
free time and interviewed him thus; what is your name, I asked.
Alfusainy, he responded. Where are your parents? I asked
again. They are all at home he fumed.

When I asked Alfusainy whether he would want to go to school, he looked at me with an unusual look
and with shyness said, yes. So why did your father not send you to school then? I again asked. My
father wants me to go to the Darra{ koranic school}. So why are you not in Koranic School then?
But before he could answer, his adult driver called on top of his voice saying Alfusainy lets go!. Off
Alfusainy went.

So I had to look for another boy like him. They were many but whomever I go to was seen busy
trying to attract clients to his vehicle bound for Tabookoto or Serrekunda. However this reporter
decided to drop at the Buffer Zone the other day and found several children playing football in the
early morning at about 9.30am. I stopped three of them and insist that they must tell me why they have
not gone to school. They might have thought that I was going to punish them or something. So when I
asked why they did not go to school, which was easy for them; they simultaneously replied instantly.
One said he was going to afternoon classes. The other said he was not going to school and third said
he was driven from school because of school fees.

As I moved on I spotted a motor mechanic workshop and saw some small boys jointly dragging an
iron that appeared heavy for them. They are all between the ages of 10 and 14 years. I decided to
speak to their chief mechanic who is named Mbye. I asked him if the kids were his own kids. He
answered in the negative. He said they are all brought there by their parents. Asked about his own
kids, Mr. Mbye said he left them at Kaolack, Senegal. Asked also what his children are doing in
Kaolack, Mr. Mbye said they are all going to school. I decided to ask Mbye his opinion on whether
he prefers children to go to school first or to start learning skills, Mr. Mbye opined that kids should
first go to school but argued that some parents prefer skills training than education which they think is
a waste of time and resources.

So as I moved about I could see children all over the place doing all sorts of things whilst others go to
school. This reporter also noticed that many schools especially in the provinces do not have enough
teachers and if they do, they do not have sufficient qualified teachers and teaching aids are almost
none existent in many schools. This is why the theme for this year's campaign "End Exclusion Now" is
very apt. The question however remains as to how the theme could be achieved in a developing
country like the Gambia.

This reporter looked at the Gambia's annual budget for Education, about 65 million Dalasi for the
2007-2008 academic year and discovered that the amount earmarked for education is far less than
what is allocated for the president's office, 150 million dalasi, and concluded that if the cry of the
campaigners is to heard then government has to recognize and give priority to the education sector
that would greatly complement the contribution of the UNICEF and other donor agencies. This
reporter also observed that if the state reduces its exorbitant expenditure on non-priority areas and
supplement it on education, it would go a long way to alleviate the many huddles placed on the path of
the department of education.

It is estimated that over 200, 000 children are out of official school system in the Gambia and over 72
million children are out of school worldwide.

.....Journalists Should Go
..........................By Ebrima Sarr, England........Posted April 24th, 2008
Dear Sir,
I'd like to think this is first of many emails I'll be sending to you. The emergence of the online media
has opened up a world of information for us in the Diaspora, on our beloved nation which hitherto
came in distorted bits and pieces, not as quick but bearing all the hallmarks of our well known radio
'kangkang'. Its a shame though that an opportunity so great is grossly misused and the blessings that
should have been its fruit like manna from heaven is now close to the forbidden fruit of Eden.

I am of the school of disagreeing to agree n believe that views, dissenting and controversial they may
be should be freely expressed and the absorption and practice of ideas be left to the discretion of the
masses with the guidance of the law of course. This is why i am very much a fan of the Gambia online
media as information that would in no way be aired on any media outlet in the country is thanks to the
former now out in the open for public consumption.

However the negativity that oozes out from some outlets is like pus from a gangrene limb, which is for
the owner best cut off lest it spreads n causes death. I will be the first to admit that my grasp of the
law is less than rudimentary as my claim to reading it ends in a one year course at GTTI. However, I
challenge you readers to this;(no doubt men of law amongst you) if a citizen is in possession of
information which could lead to the overthrow of a government, and his only effort in respect to that
info is to air and propagate its execution, not guilty of aiding and abetting treason or in the worst case
scenario, treason itself!?

This is the crime one online paper has committed in alleging receipt of a letter of treason from some
disgruntled soldiers. Lack of time and space restricts me to shred the report piecemeal but it does not
take a genius to assert that receipt of a letter of treason from the executioners is either a hoax or a
damn right lie by the recipient as the airing of such a plan would render it crushed. And to wish such a
calamity on our dear Gambia, disgruntled as one may be with the regime is surely a heinous crime n
very much immoral. By anyone's standard, The Gambia as it is better than it could ever be when law
and order ceases to exist.

I hope this paper refrains from such negative reporting and that those of us who rely on it will resort
to feeding from it without taking every word with a pinch of salt.
...........No Sitting on the Fence
I am honored to have known Ebrima Conteh from when he was a boy and even as he may not
remember me, I clearly do him and i would assert right here and now that i looked up to him. Im not
surprised, rather much impressed that he has turned out to be the successful man I ever knew he was
going to become. Congratulations on coming back from Iraq alive. As there are few good men, the
world is richer with you still breathing.

However, I would like to know where you stand on matters in the Gambia, as I am very much baffled
at your mention of Yaya's projects and praise for Halifa and FOROYAA. Last time i checked, the
only mention Halifa made of the said projects are they were built by loans and since the projects don't
generate money, yet the loans will still be paid, that it could only help in increasing tax, thereby adding
to the suffocation of the masses. Can you please enlighten me as to how you think change can be
achieved in the Gambia?

My dear brother, I look forward to your response. Flatter me with one please.The author can be
contacted at eysarr@yahoo.co.uk.

Ebrima Sarr
England
...ONLY AFRICAN JUSTICE IS RIGHT!!
......- SAY DAILY OBSERVER JOKERS
...............................By The Watchman.........................April 24th, 2008
The jokers and elementary school grade writers at The Gambia's
Daily observer are at it again. Previously, the Watchman deemed
this so called newspaper such a travesty of journalistic conscience
that it was barely mentioned on other commentaries. There is an
editorial they penned; however, that deserves some scrutiny and
lots of laughs. Titled "Tell Them to Go Shove It" and recently
cross posted at the All Africa website, this comedy of words launches a rather clumsy assault on
global attempts to prosecute African war criminals. It also pivots to defend the "justice" ministers
who had gathered like a pack of wolves at Addis Ababa to condemn internationally hailed efforts to
indict African Human Rights scofflaws. Here's one interesting excerpt:

"Those arrogant French Judges shouldn't be blamed much, for they were blinded by their ignorance of the
changing situation in African awareness. They were indeed motivated by previous cases, where Africans
connived with their neo-colonialist masters to undermine other Africans. The message for them, however, is that
Africa can never be re-colonized. As the conference of Ministers demands, all eyes are on the African
Commission. This act of insolence must be stemmed".

To hear the Daily Observer tell it, only the African brand of "justice" is legit. It is interesting to note
that whenever African "leaders" have come under intense pressure and scrutiny to thwart their gross
flouting of Human Rights, they have reached out for that most supercilious of cop outs in pushing back:
neo-colonialism. Like Robert Mugabe, African goons, aided by their sycophant presses, have
accused the West of sovereign infringement in matters of elections and democracy. The tragedy of this
charade is the fact that manipulated citizens in some of these repressed states easily fall for it. One can
go into the many ways the West and opposition parties can counter these nefarious schemes but it
would perhaps be best to challenge these buffoons to do the following:

First, if only African "justice" should be the single criterion on matters of rights, why not extend the
rule to FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) in Africa? The World Investment Report 2007 Transnational
Corporations, Extractive Industries and Development, produced by the United Nations Conference
on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), revealed that foreign direct investment (FDI) into Africa
doubled between 2004 and 2006 to 36 billion Dollars. Despite the fact that Africa is still lagging
behind in the global share of FDI, this was a record amount compared to years before. It also reflects
the faith investors have in the continent's potential despite the sins of its wayward rulers who no doubt
benefit from their commercial activities. If these African governments don't want outsiders to judge
their grossly erroneous mishaps on Human Rights, they should also reject the influx of Western money
into their state coffers and business societies. Let's apply some consistency here. Also it would show
self-respect on their part to rebuff the deeds of agencies like the IMF and Red Cross because since
they are dominated by the West, there is a tendency they could be "neo-colonialist."

Next, these African "resistance" governments should protest the presence of peace keepers
supplied by world bodies such as the UN in areas of the continent that have been ravaged by their
counterparts, like Liberia and Democratic Republic of Congo. It can be easily noted that previous
African hotspots that are now experiencing relative peace are under the auspices of the UN especially
in these abovementioned nations. Other peace keeping operations under the supervision of African
Union forces in nations like Somalia and Sudan (Darfur) are doing abysmally. If African "justice" (or
lack thereof) is the best and not worthy of constructive criticism, shouldn't it be evident in the way
African peace keepers who are so adept at matters concerning Human Rights etc, execute the tasks
of minimizing violence in their fellow African entities? If African governments reject and denounce
intrusive "neo-colonial" pretensions to "justice", they should ask the UN to leave and allow an
African version of military intervention on matters of governance that they have botched again and
again. One only wonders how long it will take before they beg for sustenance from the global
community after embarking on that path to catastrophe. By the way why is it these same African
leaders and their "justice" ministers always make a bee line for their Western counterparts at
international symposia, mug for the camera and proceed to effusively praise them? Isn't this
"neo-colonialist" and "insolent", to use the ill chosen dictum of the Daily Observer?

Last, these outraged African "justice" ministers should goad their respective nations to boycott
international events like the Olympics and Commonwealth Games. They are dominated by Western
sponsors, most of the medals are won by the powerful and industrial states that hail from Europe and
North America and by the way when was the last time the Olympics were held in Africa? The rules of
all the sports have their roots in the West. Shouldn't there be an African rules based type of
football/soccer? Isn't this "neo-colonialism" and "imperialism"? I don't see African "justice"
ministers protesting the running of the Olympic torch from global city to global city like the pro-Tibetan
dissidents, who are fed up with a local version of "justice" (Chinese to be exact) and want the world to
notice. Why didn't Yahya Jammeh, proprietor of the high school newspaper that is the Daily
Observer, protest when his spouse traveled to the US to give birth and once coveted US citizenship
for his daughter? This is actual "neo-colonial" behavior isn't it? What type of "justice" is the
president doing to his local hospital, the RVTH, when he disrespects their abilities and flees to a rich
Western state to deliver his offspring?

It's easy to know what response the elves and dwarfs at The Daily Observer will give in defense of
their ever watchful master: some "neo-colonialisms" are more equal than others.

The author can be contacted at Gambiaswatchman@gmail.com.

......................................NEWS
Court Conceals Prosecution�s Witness Identity
.......in the Journalist�s Sedition Trial
........................................By MFWA..............April 23rd, 2008
The Kanifing Magistrate Court trying Fatou Jaw Manneh, a US-based
Gambian journalist for alleged sedition on April 21, 2008 restricted the
general public from the trial by ruling that only Manneh�s family members
and two journalists were to be admitted to the court.

Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) sources reported that the
ruling followed an earlier application filed by the Director of Public
Prosecutions (DPP) of The Gambia, Emmanuel Fagbenle. The DPP had
earlier asked the court to protect the prosecution witnesses by concealing
their identities.

The sources said Lamin Jobarteh, Manneh�s counsel, objected to the court�s decision, arguing that
courts all over the world were open platform for the general public. This was, however, overruled.

Following the new ruling, a third witness also testified against the journalist.

Manneh, a former journalist with the Daily Observer newspaper in its early days, has been charged
with three counts of sedition, following a series of articles she wrote criticising the regime of President
Yahya Jammeh. Upon her arrival on March 28, 2007 in the Gambia, she was arrested, detained for a
week, and had her travel documents confiscated by the authorities.

Since her arrest, Manneh�s case has been moving back and forth from one magistrate�s court to
another. The courts have argued that they lacked jurisdiction to hear the matter, because the said
articles were published on the internet. However, on December 7, 2007, a High Court in Banjul ruled
that the case could be tried anywhere because of the global nature of the Internet and referred it back
to the court where it was first tried � the Kanifing Magistrate Court. On March 11, 2008, the case
was delayed further as Magistrate Jawo failed to show up in court.

....................................OPINION
........The Gambia Today
.................................By Ebrima Conteh...................April 22nd, 2008
The story Karamba told about Mr Fofana is another reason for
keeping the online media a trustworthy source of information. If the
Diaspora is constantly bombarded with false information in the long
run no one will believe credible stories like Karamba's. If the current
trend continues no one will believe you when you tell your story
about Mr. Fofana. You and I have to choose, elect and demand
accurate information from the online media.

The case against Saddam was primarily based on evidence from
the widely recorded1988 chemical attack. This chemical weapon
s attack on Halabja near the end of a bloody, eight-year war was
widely reported. If the critics of the APRC are known for reporting
false information then any evidence against the APRC can be easily challenged in court and thrown
out. Reporting false information is counterproductive.

Now let us focus on why APRC keeps wining election after election, first of all the Opposition parties
are divided, weak, and under funded. They have proven time and time again that they cannot fight the
battle by themselves. Secondly the APRC regime has succeeded where the PPP regime failed.

Contrary to what the online may want us to believe there is lot of development taking place in the
Gambia. For example the road from Brikama to Banjul is paved there are traffic lights from Taboko to
West Field. There are streetlights from Lamin to Westfield. The coastal which starts from the Airport
to Senegambia Hotelis paved and there are street lights from the beginning to the end of the new road.
The Transgambia project is well underway, the road from Barra to Farafenni is paved, and it takes
under two hours to drive from Barra to Farafenni. There is very minimal disruption of electricity and
there are electrical lines from Barra to Badibu. The APRC regime has succeeded in convincing the
Gambian population that it can bring change and development unlike the former regime. No one in the
Diaspora wants to talk about these developments; in fact it is a taboo to give APRC credit for what
they are doing. Well I will say it, the Gambia is developing and it will keep developing with or without
the Diaspora.

Although we cannot trade basic human rights, freedom of expression and the rule of law for
infrastructural developments, it is self evident that the The Gambian population has bought APRC
argument by voting overwhelmingly for the APRC election after election. The Diaspora cannot expect
Gambians to vote for a disfranchised, weak, under funded, and divided opposition when the APRC is
delivering. APRC is enjoying tremendous support from a majority of Gambians because Gambians
see the good that they are doing, the current regiem's critics cannot expect a change if there is no
alternative to APRC. I am not a smart man but it makes perfect sense why Gambians are voting for
APRC and unless and until there is a credible alternative to APRC this trend will continue. APRC has
earned political capital and they have the right to spend it however they deem fit and no one can do a
dam thing about it. The keyboard will and cannot reverse the tide in the Gambia, it has not worked the
past thirteen years and it will not work in the future.

The keyboard is not the solution to the political situation in the Gambia; I am on the record for
bemoaning the decline of democratic principles for it is my believe that this will eventually lead to a one
party system in our beloved country. I know this is a unique challenge that demands attention from
every progressive Gambian but they way and manner APRC critics are going about it will achieve
very little results.

The quickest way to reverse the political tide in the Gambia is trough unity and forging a common
voice. A progressive united Gambian Diaspora that is willing to take bigger steak in the political
process can provide an alternative for Gambians. Today Gambians at home do not have an alternative
to A.P.R.C. and if the over riding goal is to defeat APRC then the opposition camp is not using the
right avenue of approach. The longer the opposition camp stays divided the longer APRC extends its
grip and dominance and there is nothing anyone can do.

After APRC's landslide victory in the last presidential elections Halifa Sallah said "The future of the
Gambia rests in the hands of its conscious, respectable and dignified citizenry who can never be
bought or intimidated but sees every human being on this earth as their equal. This Gambia is
emerging. Sooner or later the people will indeed take charge to build a society of liberty and
prosperity."

Who are these people and when will they show up to take charge? My guess is a group will show up
a year before election and try to make something happen by then it will be too late. Now is the time to
take action if the APRC critics are serious.
..........A SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO
CAPTAIN YUSUPHA SIBBY
...............................By Yero Jallow...........................April 22nd, 2008
Soccer of old is far too cry from now. Like the Grammarian Quinton
Cummings of Gambia High School once put it, "Those were the good
old days when men were men" I couldn't agree more with my former
teacher especially now that it resonates with the life of a soccer star,
Captain Yusupha Sibby fondly 'Captain Sam Sibby' or simply ' Cappy '
who recently passed away in Banjul, the Gambia. It is true the activists
believe good people don't die because of their deeds that they left
behind. This is true for the case of captain Sam whose soccer endeavors
sparked a brilliant moment at Real de Banjul and the greater Banjul
neighborhood.

According to Mr. Pa Alieu Loum, former wing player for Ports FC and Walidan, Cappy was his
neighbor and a teammate at Ports FC and of the finest characters. He was a man of good spirit with
soccer talents that inspired a lot of Gambians especially those that knew his mid-field defense
(numbers 5 & 6). Cappy was a resident of Half-die, Banjul, The Gambia, believed to have died in his
fifties recently. Cappy, whose titled of honor was as a direct result of his soccer accomplishments was
the heart of Real de Banjul at the time, as narrated by Mr. Loum and Mr. Bah. Further he was an
organizer and the central unifier that combined personal skills and humor with his ambition for soccer
locally called Football.

In Mr. Loum's own words, "I know him very well as we were residing in Half-Die, Banjul. We played
in the same team 'Ports FC. My elder brother Doctor Hector Loum was among his best friends. I
therefore extend my condolences to his brothers Bladdr Sibby (Germany) and Adou Sibby (Banjul)."

Another one of his admirers, Anne Forster a resident of Minnesota also added a touching tribute to
someone she one time admired. In a tearful tone Anne recalled the vibrant soccer star whose
momentum was a moving one, thus: 'Yusupha was very down to earth, a true team player, famous and
liked by everyone. I extend my condolences to his family especially his sister 'my friend, Mariam
Sibby.'

According to Mr. Cherno Bah another resident of Minnesota, who was a coach to Ndanaan soccer
team and happened to interact with Cappy in the vicinity then, thus: 'Cappy was of a strong
personality, likewise in the field ' he was a solid rock, and off the field 'he was the sweetest person
with smiles. He was the bedrock of Real de Banjul and Gambia's National Squad.' I want to pay
tribute to my uncle Musa Njie who was a team mate to the late Cappy

With the above words coming from reliable sources, adds to the tens of others mourning a man of
soccer legacy whose contributions towards soccer cannot be forgotten just like that. In my whole life,
I didn?t have the opportunity to play soccer at a higher level because I was a herds boy but by such a
memorial piece of tribute, brought remorseful moments to why I missed the opportunity to have
played soccer, a game of my admiration - probably I would have been another 'Pele', yet still
"Biri-Biri " my long time admirers during the times that I played weakly in the field, breathing heavily.
The latest of its show was the summer of 2007 when I almost scored a golden goal in Minnesota, a
shot that surprised many and attracted a lot of echoes. At once I cried in my inner heart over the
opportunity that I missed 'to be a soccer star. The ball I handled in the 18-yards distance that angled
at a slant of 65 degrees hitting the bar and coiling in the net 'just below the cross horizontal bar,
changed my love for soccer for ever.

To the late Cappy, though I have never known you but at once began to search your love of soccer
from people who have known you then. May Almighty God's love and mercy decent on your soul for
eternity. I also take this opportunity to extend my condolence to his family, the players of Real de
Banjul especially those that played with him and all soccer lovers around.

The author of the article can be reached at editor@gainako.com. Please send in your articles
for publication.

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