The Gambia’s National Football Team Faces Emergency Landing; Safety Concerns Raised

The Gambia’s National Football Team Faces Emergency Landing; Safety Concerns Raised

The Gambia’s national football team, known as the Scorpions, experienced a harrowing incident as their chartered flight, en route to the African Cup of Nations, faced technical problems, leading to an emergency landing.

According to reports, the Belgian coach of the team, Tom Saintfiet, shared his concerns about the severity of the situation. The team’s chartered flight, operated by Air Cote d’Ivoire, was in the air for only nine minutes when the crew realized a significant issue and promptly decided to return to Banjul.

Saintfiet described the seriousness of the situation, stating, “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.”

The Gambia Football Federation (GFF) issued a statement on Facebook, expressing regret about the incident. The preliminary investigations suggested a loss of cabin pressure and oxygen, prompting the emergency landing. The technical team of Air Cote d’Ivoire is conducting further assessments to determine the exact cause of the oxygen and cabin pressure issues.

Fortunately, all members of the delegation, including players and staff, are reported to be safe and in sound health. The team is awaiting further instructions and arrangements for their travel to Ivory Coast.

The GFF apologized for any inconvenience caused and pledged to keep the public informed about the developments and the steps taken to ensure the team’s safe travel to Ivory Coast.