BY: Media Officer Foday Jatta Real de Banjul attacking midfielder Alieu Gibba says he is delighted to score the only goal in the club’s 1-0 win over Team Rhino as he prepares to travel to Egypt for the 2023 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations with the Gambia. Gibba was assisted to score a brilliant strike by another U20-hopeful Salifu Colley as they count down the days ahead of their Group C opening match against Tunisia in Alexandria. “It’s a pleasure for me to score a goal and win the game for my club before the AFCON U20 but this a team work not individual and I am proud of my mates and wishing them good luck in the league whilst we are away,” Gibba said. The fan favorite, who’s also known as Gaucho, a nickname he derived from former Brazil superstar Ronaldinho, says he dedicates his winner to his fans who always chant his name in joy when watching him play. He said: “Their support is something that has been happening since I was younger. I am someone who’s always loved by the fans. It’s a joy to hear fans shouting my name, it’s a pleasure. When I hear them chanting my name, it motivates me, it adjusts my game to be honest. I am so proud of them and I will dedicate the goal to them.” New signing, Adama Jarju who joined the Whites at the tale end of the preseason seems to have settled in quickly. “All praise be Allah”, Jarju said whilst adding that football is my job. Before I joined Real de Banjul I have been training 100%, but the lads welcomed me well and that helped me settle in quickly. I am very happy that we collected the maximum points today. I came to the team with a lot of experience and I believe in myself, so I try to share that experience with them and push them. I have played where they did not play yet so they look up to me. I advise them a lot and they take it too, so I am very happy to join the club,” Jarju said. For Head Coach Vjatšeslav Zahovaiko, it wasn’t a good and convincing performance from his side but he was happy that they collected the important three points. “To be honest it wasn’t the best performance from us but I’m happy for the three points. We didn’t create many chances so that’s a problem because if you don’t create, you cannot score goals. Today we struggled in creating the spaces in the wing area but happy with the three points!” Asked about Alieu Gibba’s goal that won him the game, Slava said: “He scored a beautiful goal from distance with one touch. It’s a really nice goal that you can watch the replay and enjoy many, many, times. We are also happy that we have these kind of players as a leader who can in a tough situation take the game into their…

Real de Banjul head coach Vjatšeslav Zahovaiko says he is sorry for his players because they deserved all three points in the derby against Wallidan that produced a 1-1 draw at the Live Your Dream Sports Academy on Friday. “I [kind of] feel sorry for the boys because they deserved the three points. I saw a good spirit. I saw a team that wanted to win. I saw a lot of positive things and I am really happy for the boys with the way they performed,” Zahovaiko said immediately after the game. The City Boys’ hope for the league’s first derby triumph was challenged when the visitors scrambled home an early opener before new-signing Ousman Kujabi equalized midway through the second half to salvage a point for Zahovaiko’s men. “The first half was really difficult, I think the weather was like 37 degrees. It’s not easy to play in those conditions but we tried. We knew that in the second half we could bring fresh legs and we did that. The first half was really difficult but we could’ve won the game especially in the second half.” He added: “The initiative was in our hands. We brought in some fresh legs who brought good energy for us in the second and Wallidan was struggling. So, we are a little bit disappointed of the result. I think we played a good match.” He rued his team’s finishing in the final third of the pitch saying: “I think we have to work on our finishing qualities, that’s the biggest problem at the moment! We are creating chances but we are not scoring,” Zahovaiko said before adding that “it’s a matter of time I believe, the medicine is just working hard in the training sessions.” The draw at home against our arch-rivals put the City Boys in second place, four points adrift of Fortune FC in the GFF League 2022/23 table standings after match-day four.

BY: Media Officer Foday Jatta Real de Banjul captain and goalkeeper Lamin Saidy says he and his teammates learned their lessons from the Greater Tomorrow draw to bounce back and secure a win over PSV Wellingara at the FIFA Goal Project in Yundum. “We have learned a lot from the draw against Greater Tomorrow and that helped us to win today,” Saidy in his post-match comments on Thursday. Gambia U-20 striker Abdoulie Baldeh scored the only goal of the game while keeper Saidy and his defense line contained the host at the back to keep a clean sheet. “It was an important victory for the team and a collective work to win all the three points. We have to win games to be on top,” the Real de Banjul captain said. The City Boys are known of keeping the ball as their playing identity and playing from behind is the sought-after modern day football approach and Saidy is challenging himself to that task even though some people deem the approach too risky. He said: “I respect the opinion of the fans and they’re just concerned which is normal. The coach (Vjatšeslav Zahovaiko) wants me to keep the ball. I do this in training and I have to show that here (in games). The coach has confidence in me to play like that, so I have to do it”. The head coach, Zahovaiko, meanwhile was pleased to see his side improve from the Greater Tomorrow stalemate. “I am happy that we did a good conclusion from the previous game. We really started well, we had the initiatives in our hands and we played much faster football. The opponent played good in defense but we tried and kept more intensive play,” the Estonian said. He added: “We had a really good movement from Abdoulie Baldeh and he received a really good and perfect pass from Yaya Bojang and the way Abdoulie scored, I think it will be enjoyable to watch many, many, times.” Slava made four changes to the team that started against Greater Tomorrow including the Gambia key players in The Gambia U20, stars, Alieu Gibba and Salifu Colley. “When our under 20 players cannot train with us the whole week it gives a negative impact to our game. So, I am responsible for the player’s health that was the reason two player (Gibba and Colley) could not start from the beginning, but I think the plan was okay. Baboucarr Jobe and Lay Colley are young and did they did what I asked them to do in the first half and somehow that was part of the plan”. The City Boys will now shift their attention to the first derby of the season as they will host Wallidan FC at the Live Your Dream Sports Academy on Friday, the 27th of January 2023.

BY: Media Officer Foday Jatta Vjatšeslav Zahovaiko challenges his players to adopt a better attitude after their frustrating draw against newly promoted Greater Tomorrow FC at home. The Estonian tactician led his City Boys to a flyer in their opening fixture of the GFF League Division One as they thrashed GAF 4-1 but endured a frustrating afternoon at the Live Your Dream Sports Academy on Saturday against Greater Tomorrow. The Whites may find themselves unfortunate not keep their perfect start after missing the opportunity to win with Modou Lamin Demba missing a penalty, Abdoulie Baldeh hitting the woodwork twice and Salifu Colley missing a last gap opportunity and a host of clear openings that came begging to no avail. “It’s good that these kind of things are happening in the beginning of the league because we can talk about the problems now but I think our biggest problem is the attitude. I think we didn’t came into the first half with the expected attitude. There’s no easy wins. This kind of expectation has to stop. We need to bring our attitude to another level. I know the level of the boys and I know what they can do, I see them every day. In the first have we didn’t do anything to be dangerous to the opponent or to win the three points”, Zahovaiko said. “Two completely different halves. The first half was very weird to watch because I didn’t recognize the players. The performance was really, really, poor from all of them. In the second half I recognize our team, we started to play the ball, we arrived the opponent’s half more quicker, we created a lot of chances and it was nice to watch but unfortunately we didn’t score”. The City Boys were close to snatching the three points after substitute Modou Lamin Demba won a penalty in injury time before the keeper saved his spot kick. Slava said: “We had a penalty but penalties are more than lottery, but it’s a pity that we didn’t get the three points from the penalty kick. But after the penalty we had another goal scoring chance with Salifu Colley.” Slava couldn’t hide his feelings to his side after the disappointing draw, saying that; “the results of course disappoints me a lot and I think all the boys in the dress room understood that. It’s a new culture for me and I hope the boys understand my talk was serious enough and they get the right message because with this kind of first half it’s going to be a miracle to win the league”. Youngster Sheikh Jaw came on in the second half and set up Modou Lamin Demba to win the penalty and showed signs of promise for the future. “That was an easy decision to play him (Sheikh Jaw) because he was really good in the training sessions. But I think I also got the message from him that he wants to play more, so it’s a good opportunity…

BY: Media Officer Foday Jatta Estonian and Real de Banjul’s head coach Vjatšeslav Zahovaiko says he’s happy for his boys and winning the first three points as Real de Banjul began its 2022/23 GFF League Division One season with a 4-1 thumping victory over the Gambia Armed Forces (GAF). The City Boys went behind to a first-half lead before a second-half brilliant display with a brace each from forward Salifu Colley and striker Abdoulie Baldeh was enough to turn the game on Real’s favor. “I am happy for the boys that we won the first three points, it’s very important that we start well. I felt a little bit of tension because we trained for three months and the boys wanted to succeed,” Zahovaiko said. He added: “In the first half, we struggled a lot but after the halftime team talk, we came back with a good attitude. Congratulations to everyone”. He said it was very “nice goals (scored by by Colley and Baldeh) because, in the first half, we only had two shots on the goal, not much so two is not enough. So, that was the message that we have to score more and as quickly as possible and it happened in the second minute of the second half. I like that we have nice combination play and really fast arrival in front of the goal with or touch finishing. I’m happy for the boys.” Zahovaiko who’s commonly known as Slava, hailed the team spirit of his side saying: “It’s not easy to come back when you are one zero down. So I think we have a good spirit in the team, and what I like about the boys is that they hate to lose, I think that’s the most important thing. They (GAF) had a lucky goal, I’m not sure if it’s a goal or not but we have to trust the linesman”. Slava notes that he wasn’t lucky for the red card on the GAF goalkeeper but agreed it makes it easy to play against a team with a man down. “I cannot say that it’s a lucky red card for us because we try to play more directly behind the line and with the first ball we succeeded, the goalkeeper committed the mistake and when a team (the opponent) is one man down it’s easier to play, but I can say that the opponent fought still so it wasn’t an easy game for us”. The new Real de Banjul gaffer outlined the targets for him and his team for the new league season saying that it is: “to win the league and to help the players to reach the next (professional) level and help the club to have a good and solid training system. That’s my target!” Abdoulie Baldeh, who scored a brace on the evening, said he was happy to score in the first game of the season and he felt it was deserved after the preparation they’ve been through. Baldeh said: “Last season,…

BY: Media Officer Foday Jatta Real de Banjul Head Coach Vjatšeslav Zahovaiko says he is surprised how quickly the City Boys’ players have understood his instructions and tactics after just a few days of working with them at the Live Your Dream Sports Academy in Basori. The Estonian tactician, who’s also known as ‘Slava’, went straight to work after he was unveiled as the club’s new head coach and manager last week and has already to put in place a structure at the club by creating a team and putting across his ideas in time before the start of the 2022/23 GFF League Division One season. The 40-year-old had the chance to meet and familiarize himself with the players and also try to get first hand information of the players he will be managing. “I am really happy with the first week. I need a little bit of time to get to know each player but with everyday going by, I am understanding who is who. I am really happy with the attitude of the boys and they’re really training well. Yes, we have some adjustment to make, it’s not easy for them and for me as well but they listen, they understand and that’s the most important thing at the moment. So, I am really glad with this week,” Zahovaiko said. The former Paide Linnameeskond coach added: “We can always debate about talent and everyone sees differently but for my experience, what talent means for me is you’re hardworking. If you work hard, you can find many good things about yourself. So, everything starts with the attitude and hard work and I have already seen that.” Slava admits he’s also taken aback by how quick the playing group understand his instructions, saying: “We haven’t talk about ideas until Friday, the fifth day of training. We played a big game 11 against 11 and I gave some assignments for one group and I was very surprised, really surprised how they took this information. They are very smart boys and for me, this very promising with the way they react. They are eager to learn, I have seen that too. I have seen that the players also accepted me into the team, so I am happy and I really also hope that the players feel the same because this is important.” Goalkeeper Lamin Saidy meanwhile is a fan of Zahovaiko’s personality and he thinks they are lucky to have him at Real de Banjul. “He is a great coach. So far the way things are going is promising and he’s a down to earth person, he has empathy and he brings himself to our level which will help us a lot to connect with him. He has a good communication skills with the way he makes us understand what he wants to be done. It’s easy but as time goes on we’ll understand better how he wants us to play.” Saidy added: “He’s teaching us how to be behave professionally off…

BY: Media Officer Foday Jatta Real de Banjul Football Club can announce that midfielder Foday Darboe has swapped sides by leaving us to join Estonian club Paide Linnameeskond. The 19-year-old defensive midfielder, who is a versatile player that can also play as a central defender, joined his compatriots and former Real de Banjul teammates, Ebrima Jarju, Bubacarr Tambedou and Ebrima Singhateh, at the Estonian top club. He joins Paide despite earlier interest from Czech Republic giants Slavia Prague who were also keen in tapping him up. “Foday is a player with immense qualities as a footballer, since we noticed his talent from day one, we knew he will be a player who can easily take the next step to go and become a professional player and we are happy he now is,” President William Abraham said. Abraham added: “We had concrete interest in him from Slavia Prague but of course in football, you can never say no to any offer and since we failed to hear from Slavia on time, we thought it was best to have him go start his career playing first team football somewhere than being in a B-team of a big club where it can be 50/50 career wise. So starting from somewhere and going to the top level, for me, is a good start for him.” Gert Kams, the Paide Sports Director said Foday has been a player they have been monitoring and with his qualities, can be a good addition to their squad saying: “Foday is one of those players who arrived in Paide through our cooperation with Real Banjul. He is a versatile player who can cover different positions on the pitch. He has good defensive qualities and as a modern footballer, he is confident with the ball.” For his part, Foday said that: “Words are lacking to express my gratitude to Real de Banjul who gave me the chance to show my talents until I started getting noticed by European clubs. I am happy now signing for Paide which is a well-established and structured club with big goals and ambitions. I’m really looking forward to helping the team with my skills and work to move towards reaching our goals.” Foday will wear jersey number 4 for Paide Linnameeskond who are getting set to face Belgian giants Anderlecht in the Third qualifying round of the 2022/23 UEFA Europa Conference League. Everyone at Real de Banjul wishes Foday Darboe the best of luck as he starts his professional football career.

The scouting event, organized by Mr. Alhagie O.B Conateh, will take place on Wednesday 16th July and Thursday 17th July 2014 at the Independence Stadium in Bakau. It will see the Champions join hosts Wallidan, Banjul United and Brikama United for a chance to impress the three football agents coming from the United Kingdom, Spain and Sweden.