Gambia coach Tom Saintfiet steps down after Africa Cup exit
Gambia's head coach Tom Saintfiet, right, throws the ball to his player Saidy Janko during the African Cup of Nations Group C soccer match between Guinea and Gambia, at the Charles Konan Banny stadium in Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast, Friday, Jan. 19, 2024. Credit: AP/Sunday Alamba
BOUAKÉ, Ivory Coast — Tom Saintfiet stepped down as Gambia's coach after his team’s dramatic exit from the Africa Cup of Nations on Tuesday.
The 50-year-old Belgian coach announced his decision after the Scorpions’ late 3-2 loss to Cameroon in their final game in Group C, a defeat that left his team bottom of the group with no points despite all the excitement it brought to the tournament.
Saintfiet, who has coached a host of African national teams, had been in charge of the Gambia team since 2018. He led the small country, which is surrounded by Senegal on the west coast of Africa, to its first-ever Africa Cup qualification in 2021. His team reached the quarterfinals of that tournament.
“Thank you for your service gaffer,” the Gambia Football Federation said on X, formerly Twitter. “After everything is said and done, Gambia will indeed miss a great tactician. Five and a half years of incredible service to our nation, qualifying us to back to back AFCON was no fluke. Always the best of luck.”
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