The Gambia team nearly faced death on their plane to the Ivory Coast for the Africa Cup Of Nations.
What happened on the plane?
The Gambia squad were in high spirits as they jetted off from Banjul to the Ivory Coast to represent their country in the Africa Cup Of Nations.
Just nine minutes into the flight, the pilot of the plane had to turn around and make an emergency landing due to a low oxygen supply and extreme conditions.
Gambia squad reactions
Former Manchester United player Saidy Janko released the story through Instagram explaining the horrors that they experienced.
Blimey! A horrifying story from former red Saidy Janko ahead of AFCON with Gambia.#mufc pic.twitter.com/tYh1PWkavo
— RedReveal (@RedReveal) January 11, 2024
Janko also shared a video of his teammates covered in sweat.
View this post on Instagram
The Gambia coach also shared his story of the events. He 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.”
Where are the Gambia players now?
A statement from the Gambian Football Federation 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.
It’s understood that the Gambia squad took another plane to the Ivory Coast this afternoon. Their opening game is against Senegal on Monday (14th January). The frustration in the Gambia camp is understandable given that they have less time to prepare for their match.
They also could’ve been kicked out of AFCON if they weren’t able to find an alternative route.
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