The Gambia, a team that left a lasting impression as quarter-finalists in their debut African Cup of Nations (AFCON) appearance in 2021, is gearing up for its second consecutive participation with ambitions of surpassing its previous performance.
However, the road ahead is laden with challenges, given their placement in Group C alongside football powerhouses Senegal, Cameroon, and Guinea.
Coach Tom Saintfiet, despite acknowledging the formidable nature of their group, expressed confidence in his team during an interview with Canal+.
“It’s the most difficult group because we will play against Senegal, African champion, Cameroon, semi-finalist of the last AFCON, and Guinea.
This is the only group where there are four teams who played in the second round of the last African Cup.
It’s a very, very, very difficult group. But, for us, the advantage is that we are not the favorites,” said Saintfiet.
Despite the optimistic outlook, The Gambia faces challenges with injuries to key players just weeks before the kickoff of the 34th edition of the African Cup of Nations.
Coach Saintfiet remains hopeful and emphasizes the pride of a small country like The Gambia qualifying for the AFCON twice in a row.
“It’s fantastic for a small country like The Gambia to qualify for the AFCON twice in a row.
We are proud to have done it. We are athletes who want to win. We want to stay at this level as long as possible.
We have less chance on paper of qualifying for the second round. But everyone thought we had no chance before the last AFCON.
That’s our advantage: being the smallest,” noted Saintfiet.
While acknowledging the difficulties and challenges, the coach maintains modest objectives for The Gambia in the upcoming tournament.
“It’s a very difficult group. But as a coach with my team, we never approach a match with the idea of losing it.
We want to win every match, to qualify for the 2nd round. We know that it will be more difficult than at the last AFCON.
There are reasons for this. We were a surprise team in Cameroon, but today everyone knows our qualities.
We do not have high-level players like Senegal, Cameroon, and Guinea.
But we are going to start this tournament with the ambition to work miracles.
We are very realistic, we know that it will be very difficult, but we are here to achieve good results,” he added.
Gambia, currently ranked 35th in the latest FIFA rankings, faces a daunting task but enters the tournament with determination and a commitment to making their mark on the continental stage once again.
