Tom Saintfiet, the Gambia coach, told the media that the Gambian national team escaped death during an incident aboard a scheduled flight to Ivory Coast for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Players and staffs were “afraid of dying” less than 10 minutes after take-off which forced them to turn around and make an emergency landing.
“If the flight had lasted thirty minutes longer, we would all be dead, 100%! “, stated the Gambia’s coach.
According to the Gambian football fédération, it was due to a “loss of cabin pressure and oxygen” but that everyone on board was “in sound health”.
The squad successfully arrived Ivorian capital Yamoussoukro on Thursday, January 12, 2024.
Earlier on, the players had refused training after demanding a bonus payment for qualifying for the tournament.
However, captain Omar Colley confirmed to local media on Wednesday that the bonuses had since been paid.
The country is paired in Group C with reigning champions, Senegal, five tome title holders, Cameroon and Guinea.