FIFA to Intervene in Gambia Football Crisis Amid Age-Fraud Sanctions
Gambia may soon see a resolution to the FIFA-imposed sanctions following accusations of age falsification in the Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. The FIFA Emergency Committee has announced plans to address the issue by appointing a five-member normalization committee tasked with reorganizing the Gambian Football Federation and overseeing elections by September 15.
The trouble began in May when Gambia’s national football team was handed a two-year suspension for allegedly fielding players who did not meet the age criteria for the U20 African Championship. The competition requires participants to be born on or after January 1, 1995. However, concerns arose over Ali Sowe, one of the accused players, whose birthdate was recorded as June 14, 1994—making him ineligible.
Further complicating the case, records from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) showed that Ali Sowe had previously been registered with Gamtel FC in the 2012 Orange Confederation Cup with a birthdate listed as October 14, 1988, raising questions about official documentation and player eligibility.
FIFA’s decision to establish a normalization committee marks a critical step toward restoring governance and transparency within Gambian football. The committee’s mandate will be to organize credible elections to appoint new federation leadership and ensure compliance with international regulations, aiming to lift the suspension and help Gambia return to the international stage.
