When the Bolivian Football Federation (FBF) opened accreditation for a glamorous international friendly against The Gambia’s Scorpions on October 4 at the Estadio Ramón Tahuichi Aguilera, in Banjul there was silence.

The Gambia Football Federation (GFF) had said nothing on its platforms. As this reporter revealed last week, while Bolivia had confirmed the Scorpions as their third opponent for the window, the GFF was yet to announce it.

Now, with all the correspondence in hand, the full story can be told. It is a story of a signed contract, a 1,900-kilometre detour to Buenos Aires, one-way tickets to Accra, and two federations telling the world completely different versions of why the match died.

It Started With An Agent

On September 17th, 2026, GFF General Secretary Lamin M. Jassey signed a Mandate Letter. The letter, seen by this medium, authorized SIBM LTDA & Dzaire Soccer Agency – License 220609 – to negotiate a Tier 1 friendly against Bolivia in the October window. Crucially, the letter stated the agent had “no power of final signature.”

Four days later, the invitation arrived. In letter FBF/1056/2026 dated September 21, 2026, FBF Executive Director Dr. Gaston Uribe Aleman formally invited the Scorpions. He wrote to Jassey and copied two FIFA-licensed intermediaries, Joel Sanchez (Lic. FIFA202408-8192) and Bertrand Ndog.

The terms were generous. Bolivia, as inviting host, would assume responsibility for return flight tickets, accommodation, local transport, stadium, training facilities, feeding, administrative costs and agent commission for a 35-man delegation.

On September 22nd, Lamin Jassey accepted. “The GFF formally accepts the invitation and agrees to all logistical terms,” he wrote.

On paper, it was a done deal. The Scorpions would play Ghana on September 29th in an AFCON 2027 qualifier, then fly to South America for a high-profile test.

The Paper Trail Bolivia Built

Contrary to the GFF’s later claim that “both federations never signed the required Tier 1 forms,” the Bolivian file is thick with approvals.

On September 24th, Dr. Uribe signed the FIFA Application Form for Hosting a Tier 1 International Match: “Bolivia vs Gambia, October 4, 2026, Estadio Ramón Aguilera Costas.”

On September 29th, CONMEBOL replied. In letter ACS 157/2026, Andre Mattos, Director de Competiciones y Operaciones, stamped it approved: Mayor Masculina, Nivel 1, Fecha 04 de octubre de 2026, Lugar Bolivia.

That same day, CONMEBOL’s referees chief Enrique Caceres designated the officials. Paraguayan Derlis Lopez would be center referee, with compatriots Eduardo Britos and Jose Cuevas as assistants. The FBF would pay their flights, hotel and fees.

From La Paz’s point of view, it was official. They announced it, sold tickets, and opened media accreditation.

The Flights That Broke It

Then came the tickets. And this is where the agreement collapsed.

According to the flight manifests in the correspondence, the FBF booked the Gambian delegation on “BoA flight OB 739: Sao Paulo (GRU) to Santa Cruz (VVI) on October 2”, and return “OB 708: Santa Cruz to Buenos Aires (EZE) on October 5.”

From there, a separate Ethiopian Airlines booking shows “Buenos Aires -> Sao Paulo -> Addis Ababa -> Accra on October 5-7 (ET 507 + ET 927)” for six players.

The GFF’s press release of October 5th, signed under President Kemo Ceesay, called this out in three bullet points that will now define this saga:

1. Inappropriate Routing: Booking from Accra to Buenos Aires, Argentina, despite the match being in Santa Cruz, nearly 1,900km away, with no arrangement for Buenos Aires to Santa Cruz.
2. Incomplete Return Travel: Return flights booked only to Accra, leaving European-based players stranded, “directly threatening compliance with FIFA regulations on player return timelines.”
3. Incomplete FIFA Compliance: GFF claimed Tier 1 forms were never signed, so FIFA never granted mandatory approval.

The GFF says it officially notified the agent of withdrawal on Monday, September 28th. The response on October 1st, it says, was “a set of one-way air tickets to Accra – tickets that were logistically impossible to utilise.”

“As a federation, our primary duty of care is to the welfare, health, and psychological well-being of our National Team players,” the GFF statement said. “The uncertainty and logistical disorder… created an unacceptable distraction, shifting our squad’s focus away from our crucial competitive fixture against Ghana.”

Bolivia’s Counter-Punch

The FBF’s statement on October 1st tells a completely different story.

“The friendly… has been cancelled as a consequence of a unilateral decision by the Gambia Football Federation (GFF), despite the existence of a signed contract for the staging of the match,” La Paz wrote.

“In view of this contractual breach, the FBF will undertake the corresponding procedures before the competent sports authorities to request the application of the most severe economic and sporting sanctions applicable.”

They apologised to fans and promised a refund procedure.

What The Documents Really Show

This is not a simple case of one side manipulating the facts.

The documents prove the FBF secure CONMEBOL approval and referees, contradicting GFF’s claim that FIFA never approved it. However, the flight documents also prove the GFF’s core logistical complaint was real: players were indeed routed to Buenos Aires, 1,250 miles from the match venue, and their return was only ticketed to Accra, not to their clubs in Europe.

For a team already facing two grueling competitive matches against Somalia and Ghana, with players privately raising “genuine concerns about the gruelling physical toll,” the routing was the final straw.

The irony is thick. A match meant to prepare the Scorpions for the world stage was cancelled because the world became too far to reach.

The file is now closed in Santa Cruz. But in Zurich, where FBF has threatened to file for sanctions, it may just be opening.

All documents, letters, FIFA forms, CONMEBOL approvals and flight manifests referenced are in the possession of the author.

By Ebrima KB Sonko