Tom Saintfiet, Gambia’s coach, resigned shortly after the team’s elimination from the Africa Cup of Nations, despite a valiant effort to secure a spot in the last-16 at the expense of five-time winners Cameroon.
The 50-year-old Belgian revealed that his contract was set to expire in August, but he decided to leave immediately.
Saintfiet had attained considerable success with Gambia, which was his 10th job as a national team coach. He led the small west African country to qualify for their first Cup of Nations in Cameroon two years ago, followed by an impressive quarter-final run.
Although Gambia qualified for the tournament in the Ivory Coast, they lost all three Group C matches. Despite initially leading Cameroon 2-1 at the Stade de la Paix, they ultimately lost 3-2 in their last group game, finishing at the bottom without any points.
His first national team job was with Namibia in 2008, followed by coaching stints with Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Yemen, Malawi, Togo, Bangladesh, Trinidad & Tobago, and Malta before returning to Gambia.
Saintfiet is the first casualty among managers in the Cup of Nations.
(Reported by Mark Gleeson; Edited by Toby Davis)
