Terrified and marked after the plane incident while heading to Ivory Coast to play in the AFCON 2023, Gambia quickly regrouped. After these trying hours, Tom Saintfiet’s players quickly put on their cleats and trained very late into the night on Wednesday.
The football world narrowly escaped a terrible tragedy this Wednesday. As the 24 qualified teams for AFCON 2023 have been heading to Ivory Coast since last weekend, where the 34th edition of the continent’s biggest football competition will take place, Gambia’s flight experienced an incident. Due to a lack of oxygen, panic gripped the Scorpions’ delegation after a few minutes of flight. With players fainting, the captain quickly made a U-turn to avert the worst.
Clarifications from the Gambian Federation
Shocked, as we showed (in video), Gambia’s players might take a new flight this Thursday afternoon without two of their players deeply affected by the incident. On Wednesday night, the Gambian Football Federation issued a statement about the problem.
“The Gambian Football Federation (GFF) regrets to inform the general public that the chartered flight carrying the Scorpions to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2023) returned to Banjul due to technical problems. The plane was in flight for nine minutes when the crew realized and immediately requested a return to Banjul. Upon landing, preliminary investigations indicated a loss of cabin pressure and oxygen. However, the technical team of the flight operator, Air Côte d’Ivoire, is further assessing the situation to determine the cause of the lack of oxygen and cabin pressure,” reads the statement.
“It is important to note that every member of the delegation is safe and in good health. The public will be kept informed of any developments on this matter. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused as we seek a quick solution for the team to travel to Ivory Coast as soon as possible,” continued the Gambian Football Federation’s message.
The Chilling Account of Tom Santfiet and Janko Saidy
Leading the Gambian team since 2018, the 50-year-old Belgian, Tom Saintfiet, made a harrowing statement about the situation. “We all fell asleep quickly, myself included. I had brief dreams about how my life was unfolding, really. After nine minutes, the pilot decided to turn back because there was no oxygen supply. Some players did not wake up immediately after landing. We were on the verge of being carbon monoxide poisoned. Another half-hour of flight, and we would all be dead,” he revealed via Nieuwsblad.
On his part, Young Boys defender Saidy Janko expressed his frustration about the small size of the plane. “As soon as we entered the small rented plane, we noticed the intense heat making us sweat,” he said on social media. “The crew assured us that the air conditioning would start as soon as we were in the air. But the inhumane heat, combined with the increasing lack of oxygen, caused severe headaches and extreme dizziness. Moreover, others fell into a deep sleep minutes after boarding or taking off.”
“Once in the air, the situation worsened, leaving the pilot no choice but to make an emergency landing at Banjul airport nine minutes after takeoff. Otherwise, the consequences could have been much worse! If we had been exposed longer to this situation in an oxygen-deprived plane…,” continued the Gambian international.
Quick Return to Training for the Players
While awaiting the Scorpions’ new departure, the plane incident certainly hasn’t crushed the players’ determination. Indeed, after a few hours of recovery upon their return to the hotel, the Gambian national football team resumed training late into the night, preparing for their next match against Senegal.
Despite this situation, the group continued their preparations, except for two players whose identities have not been disclosed. They are likely the two players seriously affected by the mid-flight incident. According to local press, another training session is taking place on Thursday morning before the new departure at 4 PM GMT to Ivory Coast.
Despite the critical situation that began on Tuesday with the claims for bonuses before the trip to AFCON 2023 and the subsequent plane incident, the players are showing great resilience. Additionally, it is noteworthy that the Gambian Minister of Sports demanded another plane for the delegation, and Air Côte d’Ivoire promptly complied by sending a new aircraft.
By returning to training a few hours after the frightening experience, it must be said that Gambia is not ready to give up. The focus remains despite the challenging circumstances, and the Scorpions, entering the competition on January 15th against Senegal, the reigning African champions, will undoubtedly be a force to reckon with.
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