Banjul, 3rd March 2025: The Gambia Under-17 football team is expected to officially start training today, March 3rd, ahead of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) Under-17 cadet championship in Morroco, from March 30th to 19 April 2025.
To gauge the level of preparations of the babay scorpions, Gambia Daily Sports had a brief chat with Yaya Maneh, head coach of the national U17 team.
He affirmed that the training will be conducted at the National Technical Training Centre today and that a 30-man squad has been shortlisted.
On how the selection was conducted, the gaffer remarked that The Gambia is blessed with lots of raw talents but that the challenge is always getting the best out of those talents in an efficient way. He noted that the selection followed that of the WAFU route.
Manneh indicated that Gambia’s participation in this tournament is significant, and as important as any other national duty. “More importantly is the return of Gambia in U17 AFCON since 2011, when we last participated,” he added.
Coach Yaya Manneh had served as head coach of various local teams such as Lamin United, Brufut United, Samger FC, Elite United FC, and Steve Biko.
He also served as Assistant Head Coach of the Gambia U20 from (2017 to Sept. 2024)
Manneh acquired UEFA C License from the UK and now doing his CAF A License Diploma course in Liberia, which started he started in December, 2024 and ending in July 2025.
By Ousman Trawally
