The Bolivian Football Federation has threatened to pursue economic and sporting sanctions against The Gambia Football Federation following the cancellation of Sunday’s scheduled international friendly in Santa Cruz.

In an official statement issued on Thursday, the FBF said the Bolivia-Gambia match was cancelled following what it described as a “unilateral decision” by the GFF, despite a signed contract for the fixture.

The Bolivian federation said it will approach the relevant sports authorities to seek the “most severe economic and sporting sanctions applicable” over what it considers a contractual breach.

The match was scheduled for October 4th at the Ramón Tahuichi Aguilera Stadium in Santa Cruz.

However, a source close to the Gambian national team has told us that the GFF had already informed the match agent that The Gambia could not proceed with the fixture because it came too late into the FIFA international window.

The source says the GFF had communicated its position before the latest announcement from the Bolivian federation.

The cancellation comes after The Gambia completed their AFCON 2027 qualifying fixtures against Somalia and Ghana, winning both matches 2-1 and 4-2 respectively.

The FBF has also apologised to fans who purchased tickets and said information on the refund process will be communicated through its official channels. The two federations now face a potential dispute over the circumstances surrounding the cancellation and the contractual obligations attached to the fixture.

By Ebrima KB Sonko