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LIVERPOOL FC: LFC GREETINGS FROM THE GAMBIA |
 Overseas
Red Babucarr Senghore writes from The Gambia and explains what it's like
supporting Liverpool from his part of the world in West Africa in this week's 'LFC
Letter From..' column.
I have had many Great memories following my beloved Liverpool Football Club from
far away tiny Gambia.From thousands of miles away from our citadel of success -
Anfield, I travel to watch each Liverpool game at the Aisha Marie Cinema hall in
Serrekunda. This is the ideal place we can call ‘our own Anfield’. After
supporting Liverpool for more than a decade, as a youngster and after seeing
them struggle for many years and later seeing them regain their past pride and
glory, the latter was proudly regained in Istanbul in a city that divides two
continents. That day was the rebirth of the new Liverpool FC - Bill Shankly and
Bob Paisley will now forever rest in peace as someone has emerged to continue
their good work. That man is Rafa Benitez.
I have followed LFC since I was a young boy. I remember listening to the
infamous 1996 FA Cup defeat to United on the BBC world service but the
disappointment stayed with me for ages until justice was done in Cardiff's
Millennium Stadium by Michael Owen in 2001 against Arsenal. Years before that
particular final against Arsenal, I watched Liverpool beat United at Anfield
with goals from Fowler and Gerrard. As usual, traveling to Aisha Marie Cinema
hall in down town Serrekunda is something I always look forward to as it gives
me the chance to meet up with both old and new Liverpool fans alike.
One particular season under Gerard Houllier’s regime that will always be
remembered by every Liverpool fan was the season we remarkably won the treble. I
watched the lads beat Arsenal in Cardiff as well as the win against Birmingham
but the former will be remembered for the excellent finishing qualities of
Michael Owen in the last eight minutes of the final. On this particular day, I
traveled to Serrekunda from Lamin - some eight kilometers from where I stayed.
The kick-off time was 2pm and I arrived in time to watch Liverpool avenge the
injustice of ’96. I sat at the end of the middle row of the hall seats, flanked
by two Arsenal supporters. The first half ended in a goalless draw. However, the
Gunners took the lead through Swede Freddie Ljungberg. We weren’t particularly
playing well until eight minutes from time when the Blitz Kriegg started. Two
Owen strikes, the second a delightful pass from Berger which Michael collected
on his strides and the rest was a formality.
The sight of Adams and Keown trailing behind him was just fantastic. I jumped in
ecstasy, beating Arsenal is always a great feeling for me as my two brothers are
both Arsenal fans. As Owen scored his and Liverpool’s second the two Gunners’
fans who minutes before were singing in unison, disappeared among the many
departing Arsenal fans exiting our own ‘Cardiff stadium’. The Liverpool
supporters in the hall all burst out into “gai yangeh daw” which translates into
they are running away.
LFC supporters are absolutely fanatical about the club. I have met many a
Liverpool fan in the past decade but quite frankly the guy who strikes me most
is a lad I met in one of my routine visits to Football halls to gauge the
support of the club in the Gambia. I met this young lad at a friend’s house and
instantly I saw a guy with supreme knowledge about Liverpool Football Club. He
loves the club and it means everything to him. This made us not only friends but
we saw each other as brothers. Alkali is a true Liverpool fan.
However, in the Gambia, LFC have more supporters from older people who have
known the club during its heydays. The most prominent LFC supporter in my
country is one Peter Gomez. Peter is a real gem and every Gambian will tell you
how he is revered in my country. He is the proprietor of a well-known radio
station in the Gambia called West Coast radio and on Monday nights he anchors
the most listened-to sports programme in the country - Sportsfile.
He holds interactive chats with players, fans and all other stakeholders in
sports which have had a great impact on sports in my country, especially
football, but it is his ability to engage many of his adoring fans to Sportsfile
which makes him an icon in the Gambia. It is always a joy hearing him read a
text message about LFC from Liverpool supporters. On winning the Champions
League in Istanbul, Peter opened Sportsfile with the song ‘You ‘ll Never Walk
Alone'. It was an emotional night for me and I felt so proud of the traditions
of LFC.
Liverpool fans in the Gambia are so passionate about the club’s success. I
personally have read a lot about the club’s enormous success in the past but I
have waited a little while to see my beloved Liverpool compete in major finals,
when they did came the RED conquerors from Anfield never disappointed her fans.
The win over Arsenal in the FA Cup was absolutely great, equally the thrilling
UEFA Cup final win over Alaves in Germany was also nice for Liverpool but I feel
Istanbul will always remain our most famous victory in club competitions.
The road to Istanbul was arduous, from the game against Graz AK to the triumph
over Olympiakos. Every game tested the nerves of the fans but the defining
moment came when we beat Juve. Playing Chelsea has become a familiar fixture for
the REDS in the past two seasons but the game at Anfield was perhaps our most
important in the season. Garcia’s early goal was enough to send them out of
Europe and land us our first final since Heysel. It is always difficult to
explain how I felt that night. For me, beating Chelsea is the nicest thing for
Liverpool despite having a great disliking for Arsenal, Man. United and
particularly Everton. Losing to the latter leaves me distraught until the day we
have chance to avenge our defeat.
At university where I am doing my final year studies in Development Studies and
Political Science, the lads spend hours at a canteen talking about the previous
night’s games. I am always one of the principal speakers during the debates and
arguments. I would talk at length about LFC and our proud history at home and in
Europe. Now, the canteen serves as my number one recruiting ground for new LFC
supporters.
After beating Chelsea in the semi finals, I prepared myself for the finals
against AC Milan in Istanbul. On the eve of the final, I went to uni, had a chat
with the lads explaining to them how Rafa would choose the team, how strong we
were defensively etc. In the evening I went to a shop and I bought an LFC shirt
for the final. On the day of the final, I spent time talking to my friends and
the remaining hours on the LFC website surfing through the profiles of the
heroes to-be in Istanbul. I was absolutely tense and particularly nervous during
the remaining two hours before kick-off. On my way home I received a text
message from my mum on the probable LFC line-up and instantly I froze. No Biscan.
No Hamann. The two power houses that protected our back four in the amazing run
to the finals are not in the starting line-up, I felt we would not be able to
match AC in the middle of the park with enough bodies.
My brother and I went to watch the match at a friend’s house in my home town. AC
Milan raced to a three nil lead and my fear was confirmed - our back four had no
protection. Kaka ran at Carra and co with ease without check. Just like any
other Liverpool fan, I hoped for a miraculous saviour to emerge before half
time. However, the saviour came but he came in the second half after the
introduction of ‘Der Kaiser’ - from then on we wrestled control of the game from
the Italians. The mother of all comebacks had begun. From Captain Steven’s
header to Smicer’s pile driver and Xabi’s rebound, everything seemed a
fairytale. But the most remarkable event that I will forever remember from
Istanbul was the sight of Gerrard running back towards the halfway line with his
fist in the air rousing the Liverpool fans in the Ataturk, which was the
ultimate face of sheer dedication from a Liverpool supporter. Captain Gerrard is
not only an LFC player but a Liverpool supporter. He epitomises the drive,
passion and aims of the club. Winning the Champions League again after a two
decade wait was very sweet.
Winning the FA Cup reminded me of a Hollywood hero in action: caught in a messy
and undesirable situation often in enemy territory, then beating his way out
conquering every obstacle in his way. With half of the players struggling with
cramp and on the verge of losing to a determined but ‘lucky’ Hammers, the
Captain again scored a goal only he can conjure. He is really a special player.
When that ball beat Shaka Hislop, I removed my Liverpool jersey and placed it on
my back for the rival fans to have a look at Stevie’s number and name. They were
not Hammers' supporters but a combination of Chelsea, Arsenal and United
supporters - our rivals. Winning the FA Cup had turned a very good season into a
remarkable one judging by our points tally in the Premier League table which
would have won us the league in the 2002-03 season.
Finally, from our small island of peace in West Africa I'm happy to report
Gambians have enjoyed every bit of the REDS’ successes over recent years but we
also feel deeply when the club endures troubles.
One particular incident that marred our triumph in Istanbul was the arrest and
detention of young Michael Shields in Sofia on his way back from the final. We
in the Gambia join our fellow RED fans all over the world in urging the
authorities in Bulgaria to take a rethink about Michael’s situation. This lad is
one of us and from the Gambia we wish him and Liverpool Football Club well.
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