Football Africa Cup
“We could all have been dead,” Gambia’s coach said
Status: 11.01.2024 | Reading time: 2 minutes
Gambia’s national team at the end of November before the duel against Ivory Coast
Quelle: picture alliance/empics/Loveness Bernard
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An incident occurred on the Gambian national team’s way to the African Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast: There was a loss of pressure in the plane and the plane had to turn back after a few minutes. There are said to have been problems even before the start.
According to media reports, Gambia’s footballers experienced a few frightening minutes on the way to the Africa Cup of Nations. The plane that left Banjul had to turn around and land shortly after takeoff. According to a statement from the Football Association of Gambia, which the New Straits Times quoted, there was a loss of pressure and oxygen on the Air Cote d’Ivoire plane, which is the official partner of the Africa Cup of Nations.
“We could all have been dead,” Gambia’s Belgian coach Tom Saintfiet was quoted as saying by nieuwsblad.be. They all fell asleep quickly, including him, the 50-year-old continued. “As soon as we boarded the small plane that had been rented, we noticed the enormous heat,” wrote former Bundesliga professional Saidy Janko on Instagram alongside moving images that show players sweating on their foreheads. The crew assured them that the air conditioning would come on as soon as takeoff took place.
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“The inhumane heat and the lack of oxygen caused severe headaches for many,” the former Bochum player continued. The situation got even worse in the air. According to Janko, the plane landed back in Banjul nine minutes after takeoff. There is also said to have been a players’ strike during the last training session before departure – because of a bonus payment for qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations.
The opening game of the tournament kicks off on January 13th, with hosts Ivory Coast taking on Guinea-Bissau. The final is scheduled for February 11th. In addition to defending champion Senegal and final opponent Egypt, the favorites also include World Cup semi-finalist Morocco with its stars Hakim Ziyech (Galatasaray Istanbul) and Achraf Hakimi (Paris St. Germain).
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