Gambian fans in visa snag

The Gambian Daily Observer newspaper has an interesting piece on the visa fiasco faced by soccer fans in the country. Over 200 supporters hoping to see their national team play in the Under-20 World Cup in Canada but were denied visas by the Canadian embassy in Accra, Ghana.

Apparently the initial anger at the Canadians was misplaced. The Observer (which I presume is a state-run or ruling party newspaper due to sycophantic references to 'the benevolent Gambian leader, Dr Alhaji Yahya Jammeh') reports that the national Department of State for Youth, Sports and Religious Affairs bungled the situation by sending visa applicants and passports to Accra rather than to the consulate in Dakar, Senegal, as they'd been instructed by Canadian officials.