The Gambia football team flies to Ivory Coast on Thursday afternoon for the African Cup of Nations, after a failed first start on Wednesday, the national federation said.
Departing from Banjul, the “Scorpions” plane turned around after nine minutes of flight on Wednesday due, according to the federation, to a loss of pressure and oxygen in the cabin. The federation assured Wednesday evening that all members of the delegation were in good health while information circulating on social networks reported discomfort among the occupants of the small twin-engine plane.
“As soon as we entered the small plane rented to transport us, we noticed the immense heat which made us drip with sweat. The inhuman heat and lack of oxygen caused many people to experience severe headaches and extreme dizziness” said the player Saidy Janko on Instagram, according to comments reported by Rtbf.
This mishap came after a hectic start to the week. The players had boycotted their last training session on national soil on Tuesday to obtain a qualification bonus of 38 million dalasis (approximately 500,000 euros) for the entire group. This initiative provoked the anger of fans present at the stadium.
The Ministry of Sports said on Wednesday that it had paid the bonus on the instructions of Head of State Adama Barrow, although it was not part of the arrangements concluded with the players according to the ministry.
The president intervened again to allow the team to leave on Thursday, the federation said in a statement. He spoke with his Ivorian counterpart Alassane Ouattara so that the delegation could take a larger plane which would have special authorization to land in Yamoussoukro, where the team will be based, rather than in Abidjan, the federation said.
Air Côte d’Ivoire dispatched an Airbus A319 to Gambia to support the selection on Thursday afternoon, she said.
The Gambia, a poor English-speaking country of around 2.5 million inhabitants, plays its first match on Monday against neighboring Senegal, the reigning champion. Cameroon and Guinea complete Group C.
