Baku, January 11, AZERTAC

The Gambia football team was forced to abandon its flight to Ivory Coast for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) amid a loss of cabin pressure and oxygen on the plane, according to The Athletic.

The team was travelling from Banjul, Gambia’s capital, to Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast’s, on Wednesday, having previously spent time in Saudi Arabia as part of its pre-tournament preparations.

The issues with the plane, the Gambia Football Federation (GFF) says, were discovered by the crew nine minutes into the flight, with the problems confirmed once they had landed back in Banjul. A statement from Air Cote d’Ivoire, the airline responsible for the flight which is also the official transport partner and sponsor of AFCON 2023, acknowledged the air pressure problem responsible for the plane being forced to U-turn.

The GFF added that everyone travelling was “safe and in sound health” and, once the team had landed again, they held a training session under the floodlights at the Independence Stadium in Bakau, a town to the west of Banjul.

Former Manchester United and Celtic full-back Saidy Janko, now at Swiss club Young Boys, said on social media that the players experienced “immense heat” as soon as they boarded the plane and reported that several fell asleep. The 28-year-old added that the situation was “unacceptable” ahead of their AFCON preparations.

“I was able to sleep for a few hours,” Gambia manager Tom Saintfiet said on Thursday morning, via Belgian outlet Gazet van Antwerpen. “But many of my players are still in shock. Some of them are still dizzy or have headaches. But today we are going to train, we have no other choice.

“The group is very mentally affected. I have already said to my players, ‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’.

“But I don’t know if they will be able to pick up the thread immediately. This takes time. Physically and mentally, many of my players are not ready to train, let alone play a match.”

Gambia are due to play their opening fixture against reigning champions Senegal on Monday. They also face Guinea and Cameroon in their group.

“In this regard, the team, including the players and staff are now on their way to base at the Ocean Bay Hotel as they await further instructions,” the GFF statement read on Wednesday night. “It is important to note that every member of the delegation is safe and in sound health.

“The public will be kept informed with regard any development on the matter. We apologise for any inconveniency that this may have caused as we seek to find a quick solution for the team to travel to Ivory Coast as soon as possible.”

Air Cote d’Ivoire said in its statement that the Gambia contingent did not reach the airport until later than planned and the plane had to take off at 4.54pm GMT, four and a half hours after its scheduled departure time. The airline added that it had dispatched a second crew and a new aircraft to take the team later that day.

“After the aircraft had actually taken off, the crew decided to turn back after 10 minutes of flight, due to a pressurisation problem,” Air Cote d’Ivoire said.

“Once back on the tarmac, the problem could have been solved very quickly by the aircraft mechanic present. However, the flight was cancelled after this return to the tarmac, as the crew had reached the flight time limit following the cumulative delay.

“However, committed to its role as official carrier of this AFCON, the airline dispatched a second team on the same day for the actual transport from Gambia to Yamoussoukro.”