#Headlines

Barrow steps in to rescue Scorpions’ AFCON dream

Jan 12, 2024, 11:46 AM

His Excellency President Adama Barrow has twice within 36 hours rescued the Gambia Football Federation (GFF) and the National Coordinating Committee (NCC) by ensuring the country’s African Cup of Nations campaign does not collapse.

President Barrow initially instructed for the payment of D38 million being qualification bonuses owed to the players by the GFF.

On Wednesday, the Chartered Flight carrying the Scorpions to the African Cup of Nations returned to Banjul due to technical problems. The flight was nine minutes airborne when the crew realised loss of cabin pressure and oxygen and immediately requested to return to Banjul.

According to reports, the GFF suggested that the team use the same flight to travel hours later but the head coach and team captain refused.

However, the Gambian leader again came to the rescue of the GFF by arranging for another flight to fly the team to the African Cup of Nations.

Coach Tom Saintfiet told the BBC Sport Africa that The Gambia squad travelling to Ivory Coast for the upcoming 2023 Africa Cup of Nations "could have died" during a flight that was aborted.

He said: "The local crew said there was a problem with the air conditioning before we took off but that it would be all fine when we took off. After a few minutes, it was very hot in the plane.

"We all fell asleep because there was a lack of oxygen - some of the players couldn't be woken up. The pilot noticed and we had to return.

"People got headaches and if the flight had gone on for another 30 minutes, the whole team would have died. The strange thing is that the oxygen masks didn't come out - it's good that the pilot realised that this was a deadly situation and so turned back. But we are still in shock."

Air Cote d'Ivoire is the official airliner of Afcon 2023, and a statement from the company said the air crew decided to turn back because of a pressurisation problem.

It added that the issue could have been resolved by a mechanic on the ground, but the flight was ultimately cancelled because of the impact earlier delays had on the crew's working hours.

Saintfiet suggested the passengers could have been facing carbon monoxide poisoning, but Gambia Football Federation (GFF) president Lamin Kaba Bajo said there was no evidence to support that remark.

"I never felt it and it's not clinically, scientifically or medically proven," Kaba Bajo told the BBC.

"Those are individual observations and perceptions, but there was nothing like that. I was almost sitting next to the coach and I didn't see anyone collapse.

"I know that people, when a plane takes off, they sleep. Some people were dozing, sleeping, but we landed safely. There was not a single incident. We all came down and boarded the bus to go back to the terminal."

Video footage posted on social media by one of the squad, former Manchester United youngster Saidy Janko, showed heavily sweating players leaving the plane after its return to The Gambia.

Now based in Switzerland, the Young Boys player called the situation "unacceptable".

"As soon as we entered the small plane hired to fly us, we noticed the immense heat that left us dripping in sweat," he wrote on Instagram.

"It was assured to us by the crew that the air condition[ing] would start once in the sky.

"The inhumane heat mixed with the occurring lack of oxygen left many people with strong headaches and extreme dizziness. Furthermore, people started falling deeply asleep minutes after take-off."

Janko also praised the pilot, saying the consequences could have been a lot worse.

"Knowing what could have happened, if we would have been exposed to the situation for any longer - in an airplane, running out of oxygen," he said.

It would be recalled that following Gambia’s exit from the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, the team was stranded in Cameroon for days.

Gambian players then took to social media to vent their frustration with the situation and not able to return home and report to their respective clubs.

The players made additional clarifications that they did not receive their match bonuses after securing a victory against Guinea.

Meanwhile, the Gambia Football Federation has announced that the Scorpions would leave the Banjul International Airport on Thursday at 4pm for Ivory Coast following the intervention of His Excellency President Adama Barrow.