By Buba Gagigo
Hon. Bakary Y. Badjie, Minister of Youth and Sports, has called on Gambians to focus on national interests rather than political differences in response to concerns over the ongoing ban on the Independence Stadium.
Speaking in an interview with West Coast Radio, Minister Badjie acknowledged public frustration but urged citizens to unite in addressing the issue.
“I’m not asking anybody to support us, but I thought that when national issues happen, that some of the Gambians, or the majority of our people, are supposed to see the country, and not the politics of ‘what happen’, or ‘the wasted money’, they did that, because that’s what some of the people were reacting to,” he stated.
He emphasized that in instances where smaller nations face challenges on the international stage, it is crucial for citizens to stand with their government and call out the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for any perceived unfair treatment.
“Because when certain things happen, and you think you are being treated because you are a small country, you do not have the power at the international level to make certain things happen, the country’s citizens are supposed to stand with the government and call out CAF for whatever wrong they’re doing.”
Minister Badjie highlighted positive assessments of the stadium’s pitch by the national team coach, who reportedly remarked that the pitch met or exceeded standards observed at international venues.
“We all saw him. I wasn’t there, but he had a session with some of the sports journalists, and a question came up about the pitch, and he said he was at the stadium, and he went onto the pitch, walked on that pitch, and as far as he knows, the pitch has met the requirements that he has seen anywhere around the world. And he even made reference to some of the pitches where they played in Morocco and other places. This pitch is better than that. That is what he said, and I guess that is what everybody else should know, because apart from the day we signed him, I’ve never met him, I never talked to him, and I don’t even know what he’s up to, apart from what he does on the media, but this was his statement,” the minister said.
He further cited similar positive feedback from Gambian players who visited the stadium during the December holidays, praising both the pitch and the changing room facilities.
“Some of our players were here in December for the holidays, and they took time to go to the stadium, went into the change room, and went on to the pitch and went around it. And most of them that reacted gave positive feedback, as long as the pitch is concerned and the change room,” he noted.
Acknowledging the ongoing challenges with CAF, Minister Badjie affirmed the government’s commitment to resolving the issues. “So we continue to struggle with CAF, but Like I said, we are moving on. They (CAF) have identified a company that they said is good enough. It’s a reputable company (in France). We would work with them to get the equipments that are needed and get them to be here for two months,” he explained.