Tom Saintfiet, the coach of The Gambia’s team, expressed concerns for the safety of himself and his players when their flight to the Africa Cup of Nations was forced to make an unexpected landing. This delay caused them to arrive late at the tournament in the Ivory Coast.
The team from Gambia departed from Banjul on Wednesday to travel to Yamoussoukro for their first two group matches. However, shortly after takeoff, they had to turn back due to insufficient oxygen on the plane. The pilot was able to detect the issue and safely landed the plane after only nine minutes in the air. During the unexpected return, the team members were able to catch some sleep.
Saidy Janko, a full-back who used to play for Manchester United and currently plays for Swiss champions Young Boys, shared a detailed account on social media. According to his post on Instagram, as soon as they boarded the small plane that was arranged for their flight, they immediately felt the intense heat that caused them to sweat profusely. The crew assured them that the air conditioning would start once they were in the air. However, the combination of the extreme heat and lack of oxygen caused many passengers to experience severe headaches and dizziness. Some even fell into a deep sleep shortly after take-off.
While in flight, the situation deteriorated, forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing at Banjul airport just nine minutes after take-off. Fortunately, the landing was successful. Without this action, the outcome could have been much more severe.
According to the Gambia Football Federation, initial inquiries suggest that there was a decrease in oxygen and cabin pressure. However, the technical team from Air Côte d’Ivoire, the company operating the flight, is conducting a more thorough evaluation to determine the cause of the oxygen and pressure shortage.
Attempts were made to obtain a statement from Air Côte d’Ivoire, but they did not reply promptly. The Confederation of African Football was also contacted for a statement, but did not provide a response.
On Thursday, Saintfiet reported that his team was still experiencing sickness and headaches, but they are scheduled to leave at 4pm in the local time zone. The Gambia’s first match in Group C will be on Monday in Yamoussoukro against the current champions, Senegal.
Source: theguardian.com
