The Gambia U17 national team head coach, Yahya Manneh, has called for the establishment of a structured and competitive youth league to help develop young talents, following his team’s 2-1 defeat to Uganda in the FIFA U17 World Cup playoff in El Jadida, Morocco, on Saturday.
The loss, which came in the final playoff in Morocco for the last two African representatives, means Gambia will miss out on the 2025 FIFA U17 World Cup, extending their absence from the tournament to at least 17 years, with their last appearance dating back to 2009.
Speaking during the post-match press conference, Coach Yahya emphasized the need for consistent youth-level competition to help nurture players and ensure proper age-grade selections.
“We need a youth league in The Gambia that will keep these players competing regularly,” he said. “That will allow us to select players within the correct age brackets and help us build a more competitive team.”
The Baby Scorpions took an early lead just a minute into the game through Ahmed Njundu Kanyi, but their momentum faded as Uganda responded strongly to overturn the deficit. Reflecting on the match, Yahya admitted that his players may have been overwhelmed by the occasion after going ahead early.
“We got the early goal and became overconfident,” he added. “That cost us. But I take full responsibility for the team’s performance in this AFCON tournament.”
Despite the available promising and potential talents in the team, Gambia’s U17 fell short of expectations in their return to continental competition after eleven years, prompting renewed calls for structural investment in grassroots football to close the gap on the continental and global stage.
By: Foday Manneh
