Bolivia v Gambia friendly cancelled amid travel concerns and contract dispute

Bolivia’s planned friendly against Gambia in Santa Cruz on Sunday, 4 October has been cancelled, with the Bolivian Football Federation (FBF) saying it had completed the arrangements for the match and intends to take the matter to the relevant authorities.

The FBF says tickets, hotel bookings, referees and the necessary permits had already been organised for the Scorpions’ visit. It therefore regards the cancellation as a unilateral breach of contract.

The Gambia Football Federation has not issued a detailed explanation confirming all the reasons behind the decision.

Reports from local Gambian media suggest that the long journey to Santa Cruz, which would have involved several hours of travel and multiple stopovers, caused concern among some players. Their return to their clubs was also reportedly a factor.

The cancellation comes after Gambia had made an impressive start to their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign. The Scorpions defeated Somalia 2-1 before producing a surprise 4-2 victory against Ghana in Accra.

The fixture against Bolivia was intended to give Gambia a different type of test against a South American team and allow them to continue their preparations. However, the travel demands of reaching Santa Cruz appear to have contributed to the decision not to play the match.

For Bolivia, the outcome is a setback after the team had planned to play a third match during the current international window. They had already lost to Paraguay 2-0 and Argentina 4-0.

The cancelled game would also have given both managers the chance to assess players and develop their teams ahead of their next commitments. Gambia would have faced a South American opponent after their two wins in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, while Bolivia would have gained another opportunity to work with the squad following defeats by Paraguay and Argentina.

Instead, both selections have lost a scheduled test, with the dispute now centred on the arrangements made for the fixture and the reasons behind its cancellation.