Abidjan (AFP)
The Gambia national team arrived in Côte d’Ivoire, hours after the plane it was traveling in suffered technical problems, which led to its return to the capital, Banjul, only nine minutes after take-off, according to what the National Football Association said.
The Gambian Federation stated on the X website, “Thank God, we landed safely in Yamoussoukro” in central Côte d’Ivoire, where it competes in Group C.
The Federation published pictures of the national team players, nicknamed “Scorpions,” after they got off the plane and during their reception at the airport.
This comes hours after their first flight to Côte d’Ivoire suffered a technical problem related to a lack of oxygen in the passenger cabin.
The National Football Federation said in a previous statement: “Upon landing, preliminary investigations indicated a loss of cabin pressure and oxygen.” However, the technical team of the company operating the flight, Air Côte d’Ivoire, is evaluating the situation to determine the cause of the lack of oxygen and cabin pressure, and all A member of the delegation is safe and in good health.”
Sidi Janko, the former English Manchester United player, wrote in a post on Instagram that some players “suffered severe headaches and severe dizziness.”
Janko, who posted a video of the team getting off the plane, criticized his country’s federation for this “unacceptable” situation.
In turn, Belgian coach Tom Saintveit confirmed that the team “escaped death.”
He said, “The plane crew said there was a problem with the air conditioning before we took off, but it will be fine when we take off.”
He continued, “After a few minutes, it was very hot in the plane.”
He explained, “We all fell asleep due to lack of oxygen, and we were unable to wake up some of the players.” “The pilot noticed this and we had to turn back.”
He added, “If the flight had continued for another 30 minutes, we would have been dead.”
The Gambia national team plays in the third group, along with Senegal, Cameroon and Guinea.
Gambia, ranked 126th in the world and the lowest ranked among the 24 participating teams, begins its matches on Monday against Senegal, the defending champion.
2024-01-12 04:30:55
#Gambia #national #team #plane #lands #safely #Union
