January 11 – The Gambia’s African Nations Cup preparations took a flip for the more serious on Wednesday when their flight to Ivory Coast needed to return to Banjul airport due to an absence of oxygen on the plane. Belgian coach Tom Saintfiet mentioned “they escaped loss of life.”
Gambia’s gamers had refused to take part in a farewell coaching session in Gambia over a bonus dispute with the native FA, however after being persuaded to board a flight to Ivory Coast, the host nation of this 12 months’s Africa Cup of Nations, the flight was pressured to make a u-turn with an absence of oxygen inflicting gamers and members of workers to go to sleep on the aircraft.
“We escaped loss of life,” Saintfiet advised Insideworldfootball.
“After 9 minutes we needed to return as a result of there was no oxygen. All of us fell asleep and if that had lasted an absence of oxygen would have led to our loss of life. We’re again in The Gambia and a few gamers will prepare. Everyone seems to be shocked. Plenty of gamers have complications and are sick. It’s surprising after the earthquake we survived in Marrakesh,” he continued.
“I fell asleep a couple of occasions and I had visions of components of my life. I didn’t realise it, however I had the sensation – am I dying? It was very unusual.”
The failure of the flight to get the workforce to Ivory Coast has derailed The Gambia’s preparation forward of their first match on Monday’s in opposition to defending champions Senegal.
They’d already travelled for 30 hours from their coaching camp in Saudi Arabia to satisfy with native politicians in The Gambia. Gamers who had been already indignant over the bonus disputes at the moment are additional unsettled by the aborted flight.
On social media, Saidy Janko relayed his story: “After touring 32 hours in complete from Saudi Arabia (coaching camp) to The Gambia with lengthy layovers in Istanbul and Casablanca, we had been presupposed to fly from Gambia to Ivory Coast for the AFCON as we speak. As quickly as we entered the small aircraft that was employed to fly us, we seen the immense warmth that left us dripping in sweat. It was assured to us by the crew that the air situation(ing) would begin as soon as we’re within the sky.”
“The inhumane warmth combined with the occurring lack of oxygen left many individuals with sturdy complications and excessive dizziness. Moreover, folks began falling deeply asleep minutes after getting into the plane/takeoff. While within the Air, the scenario acquired worse, leaving the pilot with no different possibility, than initiating an emergency touchdown again in Banjul airport 9 minutes after takeoff. Which occurred efficiently. If it wasn’t for this, the implications might have been loads worse !!!”
On the final Africa Cup of Nations, debutants The Gambia had been the revelation of the event, reaching the quarter-finals, dropping host nation Cameroon.
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