IT has been revealed that The Gambia’s flight to Abijdan, Cote d’Ivoire for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2023) was aborted shortly after take-off and the plane headed back home after lives were put in danger.
The plane was airborne for only nine minutes of the scheduled two-hour flight last night before it had to return to Banjul, the capital of The Gambia, due to technical issues that led to a shortage of oxygen, according to multiple reports.
Some of the players even lost consciousness mid-flight, while others suffered from shock, severe headaches and breathing problems, but nobody was serious hurt.
A statement from the Gambia Football Federation confirmed the incident, and new plans are being made for the team to travel to AFCON 2023.
“The Gambia Football Federation (GFF) regrets to inform the general public that the chartered flight carrying the Scorpions to the Africa Cup of Nations returned to Banjul due to technical problems,” the statement said.
“The flight was nine minutes long when the crew realised this and immediately requested a return to Banjul. Upon landing, preliminary investigations indicated that there had been a loss of cabin pressure and oxygen.
“However, the technical team of the flight operating company, Air Côte d’Ivoire, is further assessing the situation to establish the cause of the lack of oxygen and pressure in the cabin.”
An obviously shaken Gambia head coach, Belgian Tom Saintfiet, told Nieuwsblad: “We could all have been dead. We all fell asleep quickly. Me, too. I had short dreams about how my life was done. Really and truly.
“After nine minutes the pilot decided to return because there was no oxygen supply. Some players did not wake up [until] immediately after landing.
“We almost got carbon monoxide poisoning. Another half hour of flying and we would all have been dead.
“We are now in Gambia and no longer want to fly with such an aircraft. That was about the smallest they could find, perhaps, with propellers, for 50 people
“As if the only thing mattered was that it flew. There are limits, I am willing to die on the football field, I am not willing to die for my job off the field.”
One of Gambia’s players Saidy Janko, who had a short stint with Manchester United, wrote on Instagram: “Unacceptable. After travelling 32 hours in total from Saudi Arabia (Training Camp) to The Gambia with long layovers in Istanbul and Casablanca, we were supposed to fly from Gambia to Ivory Coast for the AFCON today.
“As soon as we entered the small plane that was hired to fly us, we noticed the immense heat that left us dripping in sweat.
“It was assured to us by the crew that the air conditioning would start once we are in the sky.
“The inhumane heat mixed with the occurring lack of oxygen left many people with strong headaches and extreme dizziness.
“Furthermore, people started falling deeply asleep minutes after entering the aircraft/takeoff.
“Whilst in the air, the situation got worse, leaving the pilot with no other option, than initiating an emergency landing back in Banjul airport nine minutes after takeoff. Which happened successfully.
‘”If it wasn’t for this, the consequences could have been a lot worse!!! Knowing what could have happened, if we would have been exposed to the situation for any longer – in an airplane, running out of oxygen…
“We are grateful that everyone is feeling well but this is a situation that has to be addressed going into the AFCON, as being only one of our obstacles on international duty.
“This is unacceptable and [as] such has to cease with immediate effect.”
The Gambia are in Group C for AFCON 2023 with defending champions Senegal, Cameroon, and Guinea.
Their first game is scheduled for Monday in Yamoussoukro against their next door neighbours Senegal.
