On their way to the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the national football team of Gambia underwent a terrible ordeal when their plane had to make an emergency landing because there was a shortage of oxygen.
Even though they were told the plane was safe to fly, a number of Tom Saintfiet’s players and coaching staff experienced severe headaches and episodes of vertigo while traveling from the capital of the Gambia, Banjul, to this year’s host country of the Ivory Coast.
The passengers in the cabin fainted and complained of the intense heat. And the pilots were forced to perform an emergency landing back at Banjul International Airport less than ten minutes after their departure.
The Gambia’s AFCON campaign is scheduled to kick off next Monday at the Charles Konan Banny Stadium in Yamoussoukro against Senegal, one of the tournament favorites. Group C also includes Cameroon and Guinea.
What Did The Players Say About Their Ordeal?
According to The Metro, former Manchester United youth player Saidy Janko posted on Instagram to confirm that he and his teammates were “feeling well”. But he also decried the “unacceptable” circumstances they were in ahead of their first game.
“After traveling 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,’ Janko said.
“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 were in the sky.
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“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.”
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