Gambia: Ous Janneh Resigns As Africell Coach

The Daily Observer (Banjul)

Babucarr Camara

28 June 2011

Ousman Janneh of embattled Gambian first division side Africell football club has resigned from his position as the head coach of the team with immediate effect, Observer Sports can reveal. In a letter sent to Observer Sports desk by Janneh, the former coach said it is “unfortunate and disheartening” but added he can’t be “antagonised by the current monotonous management system of the club.”

In a letter sent to the president of the Africell football club, Muhammed Bah and copied to the secretary general Momodou Demba dated June the 24th, Charles as he is fondly called said he will also take the opportunity to thank the Director of Africell and his entire entourage for their valuable and unflinching support rendered to the team. “It is an unfortunate and disheartening situation, which endured me to tender my resignation as the head coach of Africell football club with immediate effect from 24th June, 2011, due to the fact that my principle and conviction towards the ethics of coaching can’t be antagonized by the current monotonous management system of the club,” Charles wrote.

He added: “It deems necessary for me to hereby declare my resignation, the Gits of the information in details underlying the cause of the act can be accessed from me through the electronic and print media for further clarification. “However, I will take this opportunity to thank the Director of Africell and his entire entourage for their valuable and unflinching support rendered to the team, I wish them all the best.”

When contacted by Observer Sports for his reaction to the resignation of Ousman Janneh, Momodou Demba, the secretary general of the club laughed at the claims made by his now former employee, but nonetheless opined that the timing of his resignation wasn’t right. Momodou Demba, who also doubles as the development officer of the Gambia National Olympic Committee (GNOC) said Charles resignation came to them as a surprise, disclosing that by the time of his resignation he was under suspension following a misunderstanding between him and the club president.

“The club is not doing well because they secured only one win from 13 games. The president asked him to release the small boys and reinstate the big players because he believed that with those small boys, the team will not go anywhere, which he refused. “The president wrote to him to release the small players but he failed to deliver it to them and instead tore it. So the president asked him to deliver the letters to the boys or else he is going for an indefinite suspension and you know after tearing those letters, he cannot retrieve them anymore. But as he serves his suspension, all of a sudden, I received a letter that was written to the president and copied to me by Ousman Janneh that he has resigned,” Demba said.

Asked if the timing of Charles’ resignation was right for the club due to the fact that they are languishing in the relegation zone, Demba reacted: “No at this crucial time it is not.” Demba also revealed that Kassimu Nying and Ebrima Jallow will take over as the head coaches of the team on full time. Ousman Janneh took over as the head coach of Africell football club in the 2009 season and after a dismal campaign was condemned to the second tier of Gambian football but he guided the team as they bounced back to the top flight in the 2010 season winning promotion as the second division champions. But the team is currently rock bottom of the 12-team table with a mere nine points from fourteen games following their 4-1 Bakau derby defeat to Bakau United on Friday.

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