I am happy with the scorpions but in football any thing can happen
The greatest football competition, which has been running since January 9, came to an end on February 6. For the first time in history, Senegal was crowned champion. Ethiopia, which returned to the competition after a nine-year void, finished 23rd out of 24 countries. Comoros and Gambia, who took part in the continental competition for the first time in history, had great time in Cameroon, qualifying for the group stage and the knock out stage, respectively. The Gambian coach Tom Saintfeit, who is one of the most experienced European coaches working in Africa, sat with us and talked about the championship and his journey in Africa.
Hatrick: Welcome coach, what does it mean to you to have made such a story with one of Africa’s smallest countries? And what does it mean for countries with populations of more than 100 million, such as ours?
I am very proud to be the head coach of Gambian national team. Everything we’ve done in the last three and a half years has been a team work. Gambia was ranked 172nd in the FIFA Countries ranking when I arrived three and a half years ago. They last won in September 2013 against Tanzania. For five years, they did not win a single match. Then I changed the staff and invited new players; initially, I called 34 players, I made the technical staff and medical team more professional, and I scouted players in Europe myself. We built the team from the ground up in collaboration with the federation. Considering how small Gambia is and how low we started the pre-qualifications against Djibouti and Tchad, the results were promising. I can only be proud of what I do.
Hatrick: Gambia does not have a strong football history, and you have made history with the country’s first participation ever; how was this possible, and what did you do differently?
Naturally Gambia is a very small country with only 2.4 million people; the Gambian Premier League pays players $30 USD on average, while Ethiopia has far more professional players and good clubs than Gambia. Ethiopia’s potential should have been much better. When I arrived in July 2018, the team had not won a match in five years, dating back to 2013. We made the team more professional, devised a strategy, and played more organized football on and off the field, and we made our first match against Algeria. We drew against Algeria and won against Benin, and we also won against Guinea Conakry in a friendly match.
Then came the qualification match against Djibouti in the pre-qualification round, then we won against Tchad. We were eventually assigned to a very tough group with Gabon, the DR Congo, and Angola. Yet, we made it to Cameroun because we were tactically disciplined. I selected players from the local league and then traveled to Europe to find additional players. I scouted players and had to convince them to play for us. We formed a team of thirty-four players from various backgrounds; young players, senior players, some from high-level leagues and others from lower-level leagues such as the local one. A very diverse team with professional selection, including a video analyst, physical coach, nutritionist, medical staff, two physiologists, and, most importantly, an excellent local team manager was formed. And the federation gave me all the freedom the team needs. We had limitations as Gambia is not a wealthy nation, but teamwork enabled us to succeed.
Hatrick: How did you find the Ethiopian National Team in AfCON 2021?
During the AFCON, I didn’t pay much attention to Ethiopia because I had to focus on my own team. I believe Ethiopia has a lot of skillful players and plays very attractive football at times, but football isn’t always about attractiveness; it’s always about results. It’s great to score the first goal against Cameroon, but conceding four is abhorrent. This, I believe, is how Ethiopia should play; you should be more result-oriented, especially when playing big nations. When I was coaching Ethiopia in 2011, we won 2-1 against Nigeria thanks to Salhadin’s goals, and we can also see Abraham Mebrahtu’s team against Ivory Coast. It was a very fantastic result. It is important to get results against big nations because in competitions like AFCON, you only play against big nations.
Hatrick: What were our team’s strengths and weaknesses, and if you were the coach, to what stage of the competition would you have lifted this team?
I can’t comment on the Ethiopian team because I’m not a coach of Ethiopian national team. I always respect other coaches, and the coach who was at AFCON did what was best for him, and we must respect what he did.
Hatrick: Following your successful journey with the selection, Gambian Football association has granted you three additional years with the selection, what are your new plans?
It is not true. My contract with the Gambian National team has not been extended this year. I signed my contract in January 2021 and extended it until 2026 in order to qualify Gambia for the World Cup. But there is still a bailout clause in my contract that allows me to leave if something more attractive comes along. But, of course, I’m very happy in Gambia. I have a good team, a good staff, and good federation support, but we never know what happens in football. But, for the time being, I want to focus on Gambia. I have a pre-qualification match in March against Tchad for AFCON 2023, so I’d like to concentrate on that for the time being.
Hatrick: I mean, you have become a heavyweight in African football, and some countries with a better football history might be interested in you. What do you think if Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria or South Africa approaches you?
Everyone’s dream as a national team coach is to go to the World Cup. And if I get the chance to work with a team that can qualify for the World Cup, it would be an honor for me, and the Gambia federation is aware of that too. So far, there is no official approach. There are numerous rumors in the media about me because many countries are interested in me; however, I only want to focus on Gambia and do my best for them. I enjoy working in Africa, in any country, and have done so in Namibia, Ethiopia, Malawi, Togo, and now Gambia. The most important thing is that I can cope and work anywhere, but my dream of going to the World Cup remains. I want to coach a World Cup team. I remember the playoff between Ethiopia and Nigeria to go to the World Cup, and I could have made Ethiopia qualify, and it could have been a dream come true for Ethiopia. As I previously stated, I played my first match with Ethiopia against Nigeria in Addis Abeba and won 2-1; the rest is history. I have fond memories of the Ethiopian national team as well.
Hatrick: Would you come, in case Ethiopia expressed an interest in hiring you as a coach?
It is a dream of mine to return to Ethiopia in the future, and who knows what will happen. I’ve always enjoyed working with Ethiopians, and I had great relationships with the players, staff, and the federation. I’ll always have the memories, and I occasionally watch the video of the match against Nigeria in Addis Abeba the players singing the national anthem, which is always an inspiration to me. Ethiopia holds a special place in my heart, and I adore it.
Hatrick: Thank you so much for your time, coach, and have a wonderful future.
አስተያየት ይስጡ