Gambia coach Tom Saintfiet has claimed the national team arrived within half an hour of death after their flight to the African Cup of Nations had to land on Wednesday due to lack of oxygen.
The team and coaching staff were on a flight from the capital Banjul en route to Ivory Coast for the tournament, which would last two and a half hours.
Several players fainted after boarding the plane, with the pilot forced to return the plane to Banjul Airport just nine minutes after takeoff.
Saintfiet, a Belgian coach who has led Gambia since 2018, believes everyone on the flight could have died from carbon monoxide poisoning if the pilot had not returned to the airport.
“We could all have been dead,” Saintfiet told the Belgian newspaper Newspaper.
Gambia coach Tom Saintfiet has claimed the team could have died if the run had continued
The flight with the Gambian team to the Africa Cup of Nations had to make an emergency landing after the oxygen supply failed
Your browser does not support iframes.
‘We all fell asleep quickly, after nine minutes the pilot decided to turn back because there was no oxygen supply.
‘Some players did not wake up immediately after landing. We almost got carbon monoxide poisoning.
“Another half-hour flight and we’d all be dead.”
The president of the Gambian Football Federation, Lamin Kaba Bajo, claimed there was no evidence to support claims that the delegation could have been at risk of possible carbon monoxide poisoning.
“I have never felt it and it has not been clinically, scientifically or medically proven,” Kaba Bajo said BBC.
‘These are individual observations and perceptions, but there was nothing like that. I was sitting almost next to the carriage and I didn’t see anyone collapse.
‘I know people sleep when a plane takes off.
“Some people were dozing, but we landed safely. There was no incident, we all came down and got on the bus to go back to the terminal.”
Janko called the situation ‘unacceptable’ in an Instagram post after the incident
A video posted to Instagram by former Manchester United player Saidy Janko (not pictured) showed the team leaving the plane as soon as it returned to Banjul Airport and catching their breath on the tarmac
Former Manchester United player Saidy Janko said in an Instagram post that some on board suffered “strong headaches and extreme dizziness.”
Janko, who posted a video of the team disembarking from the plane, slammed his country’s association for the “unacceptable” situation.
Janko, 28, wrote on Instagram: ‘Unacceptable. After traveling a total of 32 hours from Saudi Arabia (Training Camp) to Gambia with long layovers in Istanbul and Casablanca, today we would fly from Gambia to Ivory Coast for the AFCON.
“As soon as we entered the small plane hired to fly us, we noticed the intense heat that made us sweat.
“The crew assured us that the air conditioning would start as soon as we were in the air.
‘The inhuman heat, combined with the resulting lack of oxygen, caused many people to suffer severe headaches and extreme dizziness.
‘Moreover, people fell deeply asleep a few minutes after entering/deboarding the plane.
‘While in the air, the situation worsened, leaving the pilot with no choice but to make an emergency landing at Banjul airport nine minutes after take-off. Which happened successfully.
Saintfiet, center, and his Gambian team boarded a replacement flight on Thursday afternoon
Gambia was given permission to land in the Ivory Coast capital Yamoussoukro on Thursday
‘If this had not been the case, the consequences could have been much worse!!! Knowing what could have happened if we had been exposed to the situation any longer – on a plane, without oxygen…
“We are grateful that everyone is feeling well, but this is a situation that must be addressed when we go to the AFCON because it is just one of our obstacles in terms of international duties.
“This is unacceptable and must stop immediately.”
Gambia underwent light training at the Independence Stadium in Bakau after their return from the airport.
The Gambian Football Federation later confirmed that the country’s president, Adama Barrow, had intervened to secure a direct flight to Ivory Coast’s capital Yamoussoukro, instead of their original destination Abidjan.
Saintfiet had claimed that his team must have arrived in the host country on Thursday or risk being thrown out of the tournament.
“As the team wanted to fly directly to Yamoussoukro, which is a smaller airport, and for security reasons, special approval is required for larger flights to land there,” said a statement from the Gambia Football Federation.
‘For example, President Barrow has been in contact with his Ivorian colleague Alassane Ouattara about this. In this context, Air Côte d’Ivoire has already sent an Airbus 319 that will arrive in Banjul around noon to transport the team.
‘Permits have also been granted to land the Airbus in Yamoussoukro instead of Abidjan.
The Gambian Football Federation posted photos of the team landing in the host country
Gambia will now prepare for their opening match of the tournament against holders Senegal
“The GFF takes this opportunity to thank His Excellency for his display of statesmanship in once again intervening and finding a quick solution.”
The federation later shared photos of the team and coaching staff on the replacement flight, as well as photos of the squad landing safely in Ivory Coast.
The flight drama continued a challenging run-up to the tournament for Gambia, with the squad refusing to train on Tuesday over unpaid bonuses they said were owed to them.
This left the fans disappointed during the open training in Bakau, but the matter was eventually resolved.
Gambia will now prepare for the opening match of the tournament against compatriot Senegal on Monday.
Cameroon and Guinea are their other opponents in the group stage.