Gambia national team flight forced into emergency landing after suffering pressurisation problems; head coach Tom Saintfiet feared squad could have died had flight been allowed to continue; ex-Man Utd defender Saidy Janko hits out at 'unacceptable' situation on Instagram
Thursday 11 January 2024 14:56, UK
The coach of the Gambia national team has said he feared his squad would die after the flight they were on to join the Africa Cup of Nations was aborted on Thursday.
Tom Saintfiet's side were due to head to the Ivory Coast ahead of their AFCON opener with Senegal on Monday, but saw their flight from the Gambian capital of Banjul forced into an emergency landing after only nine minutes.
The flight was run by Air Cote d'Ivoire, the official flight providers of the tournament. It has been reported the flight was aborted after suffering from pressurisation issues.
"The local crew said there was a problem with the air conditioning before we took off but that it would be all fine when we took off," Saintfiet told BBC Sport Africa.
"After a few minutes, it was very hot in the plane. We all fell asleep because there was a lack of oxygen - some of the players couldn't be woken up. The pilot noticed and we had to return.
"People got headaches and if the flight had gone on for another 30 minutes, the whole team would have died. The strange thing is that the oxygen masks didn't come out - it's good that the pilot realised that this was a deadly situation and so turned back. But we are still in shock."
Former Man Utd and Celtic player Saidy Janko, who now plays for Swiss club Young Boys, took to Instagram to complain of the "unacceptable" situation and said extreme heat in the plane had left members of the travelling party unconscious.
"After traveling 32 hours in total from Saudi Arabia to Gambia with long layovers in Istanbul and Casablanca, we were supposed to fly from Gambia to ivory Coast for the AFCON today," he wrote.
"As soon as we entered the small plane that was hired to fly us, we noticed the immense heat that left us dripping in sweat. It was assured to us by the crew that the air conditioning would start once we are in the sky.
"The inhumane heat mixed with the occurring lack of oxygen left many people with strong headaches and extreme dizziness. Furthermore, people started falling deeply asleep minutes after entering the aircraft and takeoff.
"Whilst in the air, the situation got worse, leaving the pilot with no other option than initiating an emergency landing back in Banjul airport nine minutes after takeoff, which happened successfully.
"If it wasn't for this, the consequences could have been a lot worse. Knowing what could have happened, if we would have been exposed to the situation for any longer - running out of oxygen.
"We are grateful that everyone is feeling well but this is a situation that has to be addressed going into the AFCON. This is unacceptable and such has to cease with immediate effect."
