{"id":779512,"date":"2024-01-11T12:50:56","date_gmt":"2024-01-11T12:50:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.afriquesports.net\/en\/?p=779512"},"modified":"2024-01-11T12:50:56","modified_gmt":"2024-01-11T12:50:56","slug":"afcon-2023-gambian-players-make-a-radical-decision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.afriquesports.net\/en\/afcon-2023\/afcon-2023-gambian-players-make-a-radical-decision","title":{"rendered":"AFCON 2023 : Gambian players make a radical decision"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The recent narrowly avoided plane crash incident involving the Gambian national football team en route to C\u00f4te d’Ivoire for the 2023 AFCON continues to generate discussions.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The matter has sparked strong reactions and legitimate concerns about the players’ safety. The latest information reported by GamFoot Transfers indicates that the situation is taking a critical turn with worrisome developments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tension Mounts in Gambia<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to GamFoot Transfers, authorities have issued a controversial demand for Gambian players to board the same plane that recently narrowly escaped<\/a> a disaster. However, significant dissent has emerged among the national team members, jeopardizing their participation in the 2023 AFCON.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Gambia\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

One of the key players, Omar Colley, has reportedly categorically refused to comply with this perilous request. His decision, motivated by legitimate concerns for the team’s safety, underscores the current level of tension. Additionally, the team’s coach, Tom Saintfiet<\/a>, has also taken a stand against this directive, expressing support for his star player’s decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gambian players have expressed unity in the face of this concerning situation. They have clearly stated that if they are not provided with a new plane ensuring their safety, they would prefer not to participate in the 2023 AFCON and return to their respective clubs. This firm stance highlights the players’ priority for their safety and questions the management of the responsible authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Gambian Football Federation, as well as African football regulatory bodies, are now under increasing pressure to quickly resolve this deadlock. The tournament’s credibility and the players’ safety are at stake, and the Gambian team’s final decision could have significant repercussions on the course of the 2023 AFCON<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Happened with Gambia’s Plane?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It must be said that the journey to C\u00f4te d’Ivoire has been tumultuous for Gambia. After the bonus episode, the Scorpions, who took off on Wednesday night for Yamoussoukro, are currently back in Gambia. The reasons given for this turnaround are as incredible as they are true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Gambia\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Gambian Football Federation has confirmed the information circulating on the internet. Gambian players are currently in Banjul after taking off from the airport heading to the 2023 AFCON<\/a>. “The flight lasted nine minutes in the air when the crew realized and immediately requested to return to Banjul. Upon landing, preliminary investigations indicated a loss of cabin pressure and oxygen. However, the technical team of the flight operator, Air C\u00f4te d’Ivoire, is further assessing the situation to determine the cause of the oxygen and cabin pressure loss,” explains the statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to other Gambian sources<\/a>, this situation has created discomfort within the delegation, especially among the players. “Some of us have respiratory problems and serious headaches,” players told Gamfoot. “We had no oxygen on the flight; we couldn’t breathe. Some of us have headaches and are still short of breath.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is worth noting that, through its statement, the Gambian Federation reassures that the delegation members are in good health and safe. Currently, they have turned back and are in a Gambian hotel. As a reminder, Gambia is the first opponent for the Lions in the 2023 AFCON<\/a>. This West African derby is scheduled for January 15. With these multiple setbacks, the Scorpions are not preparing for this encounter in the best way. The players, completely shaken by these events, could be affected once on the field.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The recent narrowly avoided plane crash incident involving the Gambian national football team en route to C\u00f4te d’Ivoire for the 2023 AFCON continues to generate discussions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":109,"featured_media":779517,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[103],"tags":[104],"class_list":["post-779512","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-afcon-2023","tag-gambia"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.afriquesports.net\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2024\/01\/gambien1-1.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pfmZoa-3gMM","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.afriquesports.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/779512","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.afriquesports.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.afriquesports.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.afriquesports.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/109"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.afriquesports.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=779512"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.afriquesports.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/779512\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":779518,"href":"https:\/\/www.afriquesports.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/779512\/revisions\/779518"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.afriquesports.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/779517"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.afriquesports.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=779512"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.afriquesports.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=779512"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.afriquesports.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=779512"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}