Gambia eye Iran friendly

Gambian football authorities are working on modalities to stage an international football friendly for the Scorpions as part of preparations ahead of Gambia’s final two matches in the 2010 Africa and World Cup qualifiers.

Seedy Kinteh, President of the national football’s governing body, told Observer Sports that the football association was in contact with some nations for a possible friendly on August 20.

“We have been in touch with some nations including Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Qatar and Iran, for a possible friendly on August 20 - a day set aside by Fifa for international friendlies.”

“However, we are very much hopeful that the Iran friendly will go through, and should it materialise, it will be the Scorpions who will travel to Tehran for the match,” he said.

Kinteh added that the Scorpions’ coach, Paul Put, who is currently in his native Belgium for a break, is expected to arrive in Banjul next week to start preparing his team for the proposed friendly.”

The Gambia will host Liberia in early September before traveling to Dakar in December, for the final matches of the joint qualifier for the 2010 Africa and World Cup finals.

The Scorpions currently lie third place with five points in Group 6 table, which is led by Senegal on eight points.

Algeria are second on six points, while Liberia, whose hopes of qualification is all but over, lie at the bottom with only points.