Now the group leaders Algeria won all their three home games lost all two away but still top the group with 9 points and a draw in Liberia will give them the projected magic number needed.

The Gambia and Senegal squared in second place with 8 points each. Senegal won all its home matches, gained two valuable away points and would face the Gambia at home game.

Winning that game will see its projected target through with 11 points. On the contrary The Gambia could only manage two wins out of three at home, drawn one and banked one away point. The big question is can that draw against Senegal in Banjul be decisive for The Gambia or could we defy all the odds as Bulgaria did against France in the 1994 world Cup qualifiers?

Based on the data analytical factor, Senegal are highly favoured over The Gambia to qualify since they are moving with an average goal scoring rate of 2 goals per game whilst conceding a goal in every 180 minute they played at home.

On the other hand The Gambia look vulnerable as they concede a goal in every game played outside The Gambia with poor scoring record of one goal in every two away games.

What makes football exciting to watch is the ebb and flow of the game; end to end play; it is goals; shot at goal; spectacular saves; near misses, and goal-mouth incidents? It is players crossing the balls in full flight or taking on the opponent by skills.

Few players or spectators enjoy bouts of prolonged mid field play with static wingback as this Senegalese team exhibit as a playing pattern. The reason for this lies not in a new efficient defensive strategy so much as a misguided attacking one but the lack of talented individual players as before.

The overwhelming evidence is that Senegal is conceding bad goals and on the other hand the type of goals they are scoring now totally differs from the past; meaning technically the team is abandoning their trade mark of free flow football ( FFF) and substituting it with bouts of prolonged midfield play.

This Gambian team is completely different from the 2003 team. Senegal knows it and probably that could make the difference. The Gambia was seriously under scouted during the past, causing players although talented but end up playing for second rated clubs around the world and thus do not give them the necessary platform to develop as footballers.

When these players return to national duties and play against their counterparts, this gulf in class is usually exposed.

Now this is a story of the past. Two world cup experiences at youth level gave them the strong conviction to take on any team around the globe.

The opponent however did acknowledge this fact and would not take us lightly. I presume the only weapon to use against The Gambia in Dakar is the intimidation factor.

But let us bear in mind that we are protected by the maturity of our football authorities because of the excellent treatment accorded to Senegal during the first leg in Banjul which will serve as a yardstick.

We cannot be intimidated by “ AFEERIMBOKA LAA” Let’s just keep our focus and concentrate on the task in hand.

As a national team, the preparation mechanism has to be operational as at now with clear goal of creating, directing or in directing the optimum condition for the players to perform at top level.

It is only when this entire football family feels the same team spirit, can they create controllable, healthy productive working atmosphere.

There are some bottlenecks in this process that demand full attention.

1.Protecting the operational group from the hectic outside world (Agents, Journalist, friends, Fans etc.)

2. Separating the operational group from the political one.

3. Settling all the player’s financial matters even before the game. Nowadays such games demand far more than just negotiating the bonuses.

4. Ensuring exclusive isolation from the host, being officials, players and fans so that team can escape to train in private as well as in the public.

However bottlenecks can also happen in football technical matters. For instance, the coaching staff must have a clear distribution of tasks. The football technical management staff must be prepared to act as “water-carriers”, and tested players but within the core group there may be case of uncertainty; a key player may have injury problems, or he may have recovered but lacks match fitness. It is not so easy to choose between a 60-75% fit key player and a 100% fit worker.

Negotiations for early release of players should start in earnest because to achieve team tactical harmony between star players of different clubs, and the team tactical simulation of match reality can only be achieved in training if all players, without exception are as sharp as knives.

The living and working climate around the squad is vital. It needs a pleasant and positive ambiance during the preparatory weeks to cope with all the enormous tension and pressure.

It is important to vary full effort with relaxation, but also the coaching staff needs to set out a number of rules to guarantee unity and group discipline.

The last but not least is the work on the performance level of the team. It is an art in itself to compose the starting eleven but finding the right balance between creative players and those with destructive powers, between defence, and attack and never to forget the quality of the opposition with the specific pressure being away.

The Gambia has now what it takes to achieve the task ahead of us but with all these the coach needs a magic touch to prove the odds wrong.

France tasted the knockout punch by Bulgaria in 1994. Could Senegal be the next?

Powerball is a new, addictive, multi-facetted device that is spreading across the world and it may just end up rivaling the Rubik cube! It’s a handheld device that can be used in a fitness, sports, rehabilitation or fun manner. It can be used by anyone from young children to old aged pensioners due to it’s dynamic, non-impact nature. This article will explore what Powerball is and how it does it’s magic.

Powerball is a handheld gyroscope device that is roughly the same size as a Baseball or Tennis Ball, being 7cm in diameter and weighing about 0.26 kg. The “ball” consists of a plastic outer casing, often with a rubber grip around the centre. Inside there is a finely engineered and precision crafted gyro with a rotor that spins rapidly once the device has been started either by a rip cord or electronic starter. This all sounds very high tech, but it is a very clever piece of applied science using the theory behind gyroscopes and the principle of precession.

The basic theory centres around how gyroscopes act on the environment around them. Once a gyroscope has started, then it asserts a centrifugal force and inertia on objects in contact with it. When the gyro is spinning, a tipping action will cause it to precess and move in a circular fashion. The inside of the device is grooved near the axle, so with an externally applied force, the axle will push against the rim. The gyroscope will respond with a rolling action and the speed of the rotation will increase. You use your wrist in a circular motion to generate the force to continually increase the speed, which in turn acts with a greater resistive force against your body.

The Powerball (or hand held gyroscope) is a truly dynamic object, there are no batteries and no electricity used, unless you have a model with a rpm counter. Using the theory above, you rotate the powerball with a circular wrist motion in either a clockwise or anticlockwise manner, it’s works in both directions. As you gently build up the speed, measured in revolutions per minute (rpm) the greater the torsion and dynamic forces acting upon your wrist, lower and upper arm muscles, depending on the arm orientation and direction of spin. With practice, speeds in access of 15,000 rpm’s can be generated.

There are a number of different uses for the powerball that result in effective non impact exercise and it can be used by anyone with hands big enough to grip it. Due to the dynamic nature of the device, the force achieved from the device is only ever as much as the person using it. Therefore the device is useful for increasing finger, hand, wrist and arm strength as well as increasing blood flow and ligament strength. This means the powerball can be used in a rehabilitation manner for arm and wrist injuries or to help with Repetitive Strain Injuries. It can used in a fitness way to build muscle or for exercise and in a sports manner to build strength for certain sports, such as golf, tennis, baseball or any sport that demands powerful grip and strong arms. You can even use it for fun, having competitions between friends, family or work mates to see who can get the highest score.

As you can probably tell by now the Powerball is a dynamic handheld device. They have many benefits for the hands, wrists and arms being able to increase muscle strength and definition. They can be used as rehabilitation devices and help with repetitive strain injury for the young to the old. Powerball’s are rapidly gaining a reputation as being fun, multi facetted exercise device that can be used by people from any walk of life and in a multitude of situations.

About the Author:
Matthew Insell is an IT Professional and an avid Baseball & Softball Fan. He runs informational websites for the Cardiff Softball League and nsd Powerball’s. To find out how a Powerball may benefit you check out his website at http://www.aboutpowerball.com

The Director of Press and Public Relations at the Office of the President has described the bi-annual Kanilai International Festival as a thundering success, saying that this year’s edition was unprecedented in the sense that the turn out was impressively overwhelming.

Mr. Ebrima JT Kujabi told journalists that President Jammeh should be, as a matter of prudence, heartily commended for coming up with such a groundbreaking initiative, adding that it is increasingly becoming evident that the Festival is a powerful tool to promote not only tourism but also sub-regional integration.

“Organising such a successful mega cultural bonanza is not a small feat,  thus the President must be given the accolade  for the initiative,” he said.

The State House press boss went on to pay tribute to all those who contributed towards the total success of the event.

The bi-annual Kanilai International Cultural Festival could serve as a powerful lubricant in promoting sub-regional as well as continental integration through culture, agrees Mr. Yusupha Bojang.

According to Mr. Bojang, if the spirit of unity, oneness and sense of belonging that pervaded the air throughout the latest edition of the festival is anything to go by, then there is a light at the end of the tunnel in our quest for African unity.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with this paper, Mr. Bojang pointed out that the level of public interest in the cultural extravaganza was so impressive that its success cannot be captured in cold print.
“The success of this year’s festival is unprecedented not only in terms of turn-out but also the global dimension it had assumed. This is the first time that the Bolivarian republic of Venezuela took part in the colourful event. This did not only add an extra touch to the festival but it had also encouraged and promoted eye-opening cultural exchanges,” he added.

Mr. Bojang thanked President Jammeh a ‘million-fold’ for conceiving and organizing the festival, as in his own words, culture is a bed-rock for any meaningful and sustainable development.

To Mr. Bojang, best cultural practices are a recipe for peaceful co-existence, economic and social growth.
“We can use culture to promote peace among ourselves, spur development and progress. Peace is a priceless commodity and you never know its value until you lose it. All the vices afflicting us today are the direct results of our sheer disregard for our cultural norms and values. This is why the Gambian leader deserves a huge pat on the back for organizing the event that offers eye-opening cultural experiences of a life-time,” he posited.

He did not also forget to recognize the ‘sterling’ contributions of Messrs. M.L. Gibba of GPA, Modou Sanyang of GRTS and Demba Sanyang of NCAC in ensuring the success of the festival.

Sierra Leone’s cultural troupe in the 4th edition of the Kanilai International Cultural Festival has again emerged champions of the famous mystical power competition.

The Sierra Leoneans beat their arch rivals, the Malians, who came in 2nd after a fierce display of real African mystical power.

The Sierra Leonean troupe’s trophy was handed over to them by the Chief Patron of the festival, President Yahya Jammeh, in the presence of Sierra Leone’s High Commissioner to The Gambia who was amongst many dignitaries at the closing ceremony of the bi-annual event.

Soon after receiving the trophy, the troupe was jubilating around the festival grounds in their traditional attires with the trophy held high up.

It could be recalled that the Director of Culture of Sierra Leone’s Kolleh Dura Suma who heads the Sierra Leonean cultural troupe to the festival in an earlier interview with this paper vowed that his troupe will retain the title in the famous mystical power competition.

The Sierra Leonean Cultural Troupe taking part in the 4th Edition of the Kanilai International Cultural Festival and champions of the famous Mystical Powers Competition in the last festival, have vowed to retain the title again this time.

Speaking to the Daily Observer in Kanilai over the weekend, Kolleh Dura Suma, the Director of Culture of Sierra Leone who heads the delegation, said: ”We are more optimistic of regaining the trophy. We are ready because the Malians lost to us last time and they will be prepared but we are more prepared. We did not put on display all the things we have at the moment. We have a lot of things that were not displayed during the last festival.”

Mr. Suma then paid respect to President Jammeh for conducting such a wonderful festival. ”I hope other African leaders will emulate President Jammeh so that the culture of Africa will be revived”, he said.
For his part, Salamu Karew, a choreographer with the Sierra Leonean troupe, said they have more to show during the festival. ”We have seen our opponents’ performances and whether they have anything they did not show, I don’t know. But we are ready to regain the title and win more trophies”, he said.

Mr. Karew also described President Jammeh as a hardworking leader who is developing The Gambia. ”We really admire him and if we can have his type in Sierra Leone it will be good for our country. I have travelled to Banjul and Serrekunda and all I could see was development and the popularity of him [President Jammeh].