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Gambia national team coach Tom Saintfiet says the entire squad would have died on their way to the 2023 AFCON in Ivory Coast on Wednesday after their flight went out of oxygen.
The plane carrying the Gambia squad to the Africa Cup of Nations was forced to make an emergency landing after the oxygen supply failed.
The harrowing incident took place during the Gambia squad’s journey from Banjul to Abidjan which is a two-and-a-half-hour flight.
However, just nine minutes into the flight, several players experienced loss of consciousness, prompting the pilot to make an emergency landing back in Banjul. The oxygen supplies on board were running low, leading to severe headaches and extreme dizziness among those on the plane.
Speaking to Nieuwsblad, Tom Saintfiet, Gambia national team coach said, “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.”
The Gambian Football Federation also released a statement which read, “The Gambia Football Federation (GFF) regrets to inform the general public that the Chartered Flight carrying the Scorpions to the African cup of Nations has returned to Banjul due to technical problems. The flight was nine minutes airborne when the crew realised and immediately requested to return to Banjul.
“Upon landing, preliminary investigations indicated that there was loss of cabin pressure and oxygen. However, the technical team of the operating company of the flight, Air Cote d’Ivoire is further assessing the situation to establish what caused the lack of oxygen and cabin pressure. In this regard, the team, including the players and staff are now on their way to base at the Ocean Bay Hotel as they await further instructions. It is important to note that every member of the delegation is safe and in sound health.
“The public will be kept informed with regard to any development on the matter. We apologise for any inconvenience that this may have caused as we seek to find a quick solution for the team to travel to Ivory Coast as soon as possible.”
