The Match

It was much anticipated, the annual football tournament in which a dozen or so local teams compete in a league to be crowned champions. The island itself boasts about six teams such is the popularity of football here. For reasons unknown to me one of the teams “West Ham” have aligned themselves with the Education Office and so they have become our team too. Their match was against the Invincibles, other team names include Manchester United and Spain, I guess both of these are inevitable.

Anyway, to the match, a goodly crowd of around 500 turned up at the local pitch, which can best be described as “unplayable”. Think of the worst park pitch you have ever played on, well that was like Wembley in comparison. This pitch consists of 3 surfaces: The central area is dried, baked mud, or just mud if it has rained and the ball bounces crazily in any direction it chooses. This guarantees to make a chump out of the most skilful of players. One side is sand, like beach football, and the other is overgrown grass in which the ball holds up alarmingly. Due to this the ball spends a good deal of time in the air and there was a distinct feeling that you were watching Bolton play. To add to the problems most of the players wore plastic sandals, they cannot afford boots or trainers, no shin pads of course so the whole thing looked very dangerous. Add to this the tackles flying in and a controversial referee and you had a match that boiled up to a late second half melee with players from both sides having to be restrained. This is the one and only time I have seen Gambians agitated. Ah – football, don't you love it? The match ended 1-0 to the Invincibles, a quality free kick with the outside of the right foot curled in from 25 yards – and that was that, much happiness on one side and gloom on the other – ''twas ever thus.

Crowd drift away chatting about “what might have been” and berating the referee – sound familiar? More matches to come, I am looking forward to them with anticipation.