A signed Barcelona shirt is presented to the Gambian National Olympic Committee President ©GNOC

A Barcelona jersey signed by footballing superstar Lionel Messi has been presented to the Gambia National Olympic Committee (GNOC) in recognition of their work to develop sport in the West African nation.

The shirt was presented to GNOC President Alhaji Momodou Dibba by an envoy from Fundacio FC Barcelona, who had travelled to The Gambia is order to supervise a regional tournament organised by OlympAfrica Centre of Serrekunda East under the auspices of GNOC.

The jersey, labelled "Gambia" is signed by the Argentinian forward, who has lit up European football this season with a series of glittering performances en route to Barcelona beating Juventus in the Champions League final, and is considered one of the greatest players in the history of the game.

Speaking afterwards, President Dibba gave his thanks for the honour and for the development of the game in the nation, adding that the jersey will be displayed at the NOC museum with the aim of inspiring many young Gambian footballers.

The signed shirt is a boost to morale less than a year after the re-opening of the GNOC headquarters ©GNOC
The signed shirt is a boost to morale less than a year after the re-opening of the GNOC headquarters ©GNOC

This comes as GNOC continues a rebuilding process following the re-opening of their headquarters in Olympic House last October following lengthy disputes with the Government of the West African nation.

After being closed in April 2014, the House was re-opened briefly in August but the Government continued to control who was allowed to enter the building.

This led to a meeting in Lausanne, where International Olympic Committee autonomy tsar Patrick Hickey ordered Government officials to reopen the House, revoke a travel ban on GNOC staff, and formally recognise Dibba as GNOC President.

With action having been belatedly taken, the nation is now focusing on sport once again, and is striving to send a larger team to Rio 2016 than the one which competed at London 2012, where only sprinters Suwaibou Sanneh and Saruba Colley participated.



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