A group of basketball stakeholders, including coaches, managers and representatives of the fifteen national basketball clubs have piled pressure on the executive of The Gambia Basketball Association (GBA) to hold an extraordinary congress, four months after the president of the association resigned.
Citing the association’s constitution, the group argued that it will hold a congress to elect new representatives if the current executive fails to do so.
“We are just waiting for the 9th of June to take action. Whether they organize it or not, we will stage our congress as dictated by the constitution,” said Muhammed Jim Njie, the coach of Serekunda East basketball team.
“They have failed to call a congress despite our several reminders. Nothing can stop us from holding the congress next month,” he said.
Mulai Jammeh of Back-Shower Basketball Club said he has lost confidence in the current basketball leadership. “This executive is showing total disrespect and has violated several clauses in our constitution. So we are going to the congress to change them.”
The current Secretary General of GBA, Abdoulie Jallow has mocked the critics and defended his executive’s decision not to hold a congress.
“We know our rights and we understand the GBA Constitution,” he said. After the resignation of the president, we know what our next step is as an executive. So we don’t need some so-called stakeholders to remind us.”
Since 2017, GBA has not held an Annual General Meeting. But Jallow told The Chronicle that the association will hold one as directed by the National Sports Council. He however didn’t give any specific dates for the AGM.
“We received a complaint of the association’s failure to organize AGM for 3 years and we have written to them to immediately stage one,” said Marcel Mendy, the National Sports Council through its Executive Director.
“These stakeholders shouldn’t have even gone this far to call for an extra ordinary because we have already written to GBA inform them about the AGM. So we cannot change that.”
The issue of congress has derailed the development of basketball in the country. The last National League was staged in 2018.
