More than anyone else, the Gambian football team will appreciate its chance to participate in the African Cup of Nations, from Monday (3 p.m.) against Senegal. Because the surprising quarter-finalist of the previous CAN, for his first participation two years ago, experienced a turbulent trip on Wednesday on Wednesday while going to Côte d’Ivoire.
After a few minutes in the air, his plane had to turn around because of a loss of pressure and oxygen that could have been fatal to all passengers. The Belgian coach of this Scorpions team, Tom Saintfiet, has just told Het Niewsblad about the serious incident suffered by the Gambian delegation, during the flight with Air Côte d’Ivoire.
After nine minutes, the pilot decided to turn around because there was no oxygen supply,” says the 50-year-old coach. We could all have died. We fell asleep quickly, including me. I had short dreams about how my life was going. Some players did not wake up immediately after landing. We were almost intoxicated with carbon monoxide. Another half an hour of flight and we would all be dead. »
Words that are chilling in the back, as well as the message left by former AS Saint-Etienne defender Saidy Janko on Instagram. The Gambian international, who now plays at the Young Boys in Bern, denounces the “unacceptable” conditions of this flight.
“As soon as we entered the small plane that had been rented for us, we felt an immense heat that made us sweat in large drops,” says the 28-year-old lateral. The staff reassured us by saying that the air conditioning would work once in the sky. This inhuman heat then mixed with the lack of oxygen and many people had headaches and dizziness. Some even fainted after take-off. Without a u-turn and a forced landing in Banjul (Gambia), the consequences could have been much worse. »
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