The Gambia national team headed to the Africa Cup of Nations was minutes away from disaster (former Paide defender on board) – Soccernet.ee

Former Paide City winger Muhammed Sanneh found himself in a dangerous situation while flying with the Gambian national team at the Africa Cup of Nations when the plane taking off for Ivory Coast had to turn due to lack of oxygen.

The incident first came to the attention of the general public through an Instagram post by former Manchester United player Saidy Janko, which included both a description and video of the conditions on the plane.

According to Janko, the Gambian team had already completed a 32-hour journey from a training camp in Saudi Arabia to their home country before starting the journey from Banjul to Ivory Coast.

“Immediately after boarding the small chartered plane, we noticed immense heat, which made us sweat. The flight crew assured us that the air conditioning would start working as soon as we took off,” he described today. right wing of the Young Boys of Bern.

😰 Former Man Utd and Celtic star Saidy Janko shared a horrible experience on a plane as Gambia flew to Ivory Coast for the Africa Cup of Nations

🎥 – Instagram: sayyjanjko22#afcon pic.twitter.com/Q02bMwTWgc
— Mirror Football (@MirrorFootball) January 11, 2024

“The inhuman heat, combined with the lack of oxygen, caused many people to have severe headaches and extreme dizziness. A few minutes after takeoff, people began to fall asleep,” continued Janko, who said that the situation in the air got even worse, so the The pilot had no choice but to turn around and take off nine minutes later, landing at Banjul Airport.

Tom Saintfiet, the Belgian coach of the Gambia national team, told Nieuwsblad that if the flight had continued for another half hour, everyone would have died. “We fell asleep quickly. So did I. I had a short dream where my life ended. Seriously,” he said.

According to a statement from the Gambia Football Federation, preliminary reports indicate that the plane lost pressure and oxygen, and Air Cote d’Ivoire technicians are still investigating. All members of the delegation are physically healthy.

According to the latest information, the Gambian national team has finally started its journey to Ivory Coast happily. Gambia will begin the tournament on January 15, drawn in a group with Senegal, Guinea and Cameroon.

2023/24 AFCON 🇨🇮

Gambia is finally on its way to Ivory Coast 🇨🇮 pic.twitter.com/A3PrSnjjVN
— Football Stage (@Football__Stage) January 11, 2024

In addition to 23-year-old Muhammed Sanneh, who today belongs to the soul of Ostrava Banik, Gambia’s preliminary tournament squad also included Paide goalkeeper Ebrima Jarju, who, however, did not make the final squad.