Dylan Bettencourt
I-Gambia ikhombisile ukuthi inakho okudingekayo ukuze ibe ngelinye lamaqembu ebhola ahamba phambili e-Afrika.
I-Scorpions ingene kweye-Afcon ihleli endaweni ka-150 emhlabeni ngokwe-FIFA, okuyinombolo ephansi kulo mqhudelwano. I-Afcon yalo nyaka nayo bekungeyokuqala ngqa eyidlalile kulo mqhudelwano.
Akekho obengaqagela ukuthi bekuyimidlalo yabo yokuqala uma bebuka noma yimuphi umdlalo wabo. Badlulele kuma-quarterfinal lapho abagcine behlulwe khona ngosokhaya i-Cameroon.
I-Gambia iphinde ibe yiqembu eliphansi kunawo wonke aseke angenela umqhudelwano we-Afcon.
Eminyakeni eyisishiyagalombili edlule abalandeli beqembu lesizwe bebengeke bakholwe ukuthi esikhathini esingaphansi kweminyaka eyishumi bazobe bebukela iqembu labo lidlala emqhudelwaneni omkhulukazi wase-Afrika.
Ngo-2014 i-Gambia yathola isigwebo sokumiswa iminyaka emibili kwi-Confederation of African Football (CAF) ngokusebenzisa abadlali abaneminyaka engaphezu kwevunyelwe emiqhudelwaneni yentsha.
Eminyakeni emine edlule, umqeqeshi wase-Belgium, uTom Saintfiet, wathatha izintambo eqenjini elalingahlonishwa umhlaba wonke kodwa wafunga wagomela ukuthi iqembu lizothuthuka emdlalweni ngamunye.
Ngaleso sikhathi kwase kuphele iminyaka emihlanu i-Gambia ingawini nowodwa umdlalo wokuqhudelana.
Manje iqembu lakhe lilandelwa umhlaba wonke kulo mqhudelwano ose-Cameroon.
Impumelelo enkulu yaleli qembu iqhamuka ohlelweni lukaSaintfiet lokudlalisa i-Gambia ngaphandle kwezwe njengoba iqembu lakhe le-Afton linabadlali abavela kumaligi angu-17 emhlabeni jikelele, okuhlanganisa i-South Korea, i-Belarus ne-Sweden.
I-Scorpions ihlulwe kanye kuphela emidlalweni yayo emihlanu e-Cameroon, nayo yahlula i-Mauritania, i-Tunisia kanye ne-Guinea ngaphambi kokuba ikhishwe ngosokhaya bomqhudelwano.
Okuzuzwe i-Gambia noSaintfiet kuyisimangaliso. Abalandeli bebhola bangalindela ukuthi leli qembu libonakale emqhudelwaneni we-Afcon ngonyaka ozayo futhi mhlawumbe nakwiNdebe yoMhlaba yango-2026.
Umthombo wesithombe: @BBC
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