By: MUHAMMED Saidykhan
Freelance Sport Journalist
Sometimes sport throws up stories of human spirit that you cannot help but watch with a warm smile – as Gambia’s first-ever Africa Cup of Nations achievements showcase in Cameroun.
Getting to the last eight of the continent’ s biggest football event was quite a surprise for a country that has had its share of struggles.
Gambia has felt a great surge of confidence due to this outing that will help mend some of the difficulties and help Gambia to keep feeling the pride it has always maintained.
Rank outsiders to win any game, the Gambian team repeatedly cited the importance of being a continental beater – a mission statement that we all struggled to believe at first.
However, the conclusion, although painful for the Gambia, provided a fairytale ending to a gloriously unpredictable tournament.
This is a year (2022) that will ring for eternity in our history. Nonetheless it was a fairytale ending many celebrated beyond borders, but again the success had set a new challenge for all those you have a stake in our sport development.
But crucially, Gambia also had a talented pool of talents to back up our new found courage – for all the understandable talk, there is otherwise surely only so far mental strength can take us.
Muhammed L. Saidykhan had over 8 years’ experience in journalism and community/youth work. Currently Saidykhan is serving as the Public Relations officer for the regional youth committee of Central River Region of the Gambia and also Muhammed is the founder of Merit Gambia, a youth-led organization set up to tackle the Sustainable Development Goals.
Saidykhan, is also currently volunteering as a community development worker in Central River region with a focus on community based tourism, gender based violence, democratization and youth political participation. He is also a signatory to the ‘’Not too young run concept in the Gambia’’.
Also in his volunteering circle, he is the press officer for Gambia volleyball federation, a position he holds since 2014, and he also serves as the communication officer for West Africa volleyball bureau since 2015.
