In Gambia, playing football can lead to imprisonment due to the government’s ban on a football tournament known as “Navetane.” Last Wednesday, 10 young players were arrested during a match and subsequently thrown into prison. The Gambian president, Yaya Jammeh, has prohibited the Navetane tournament since coming to power in 1994, claiming that it encourages young people to cultivate the land instead. Despite the ban, some localities continued to organize the competition, leading to a police raid in the Central River region, resulting in the arrest of students playing in the tournament. They face the possibility of 5 to 8 years in prison.
