2023 AFCON: Why Airplane Carrying Gambia National Team Made U-Turn

The national team of Gambia were forced to make a U-turn to Banjul, the capital of the country, while trying to fly to Ivory Coast for the 2023 AFCON.

The Gambia national team made the 180-degree turn because it was discovered that their airplane was low on oxygen about 9 minutes after taking off from the country’s capital.

They were flying straight to Abidjan, the capital of Ivory Coast ahead of the commencement of their 2023 AFCON campaign in Group C.

They will compete in the group alongside the reigning champions of the tournament, Senegal, five-time champions Cameroon, and Guinea who defeated the Super Eagles of Nigeria 2-0 in a pre-AFCON friendly on Monday.

The Gambia Football Federation issued a statement on Thursday stating that a number of the country’s players and coaching crew experienced excruciating headaches and breathing issues as a result of the low oxygen in the airplane.

The statement reads: “The Gambia Football Federation (GFF) regrets to inform the general public that the chartered flight carrying the Scorpions to the Africa Cup of Nations returned to Banjul due to technical problems. The flight was nine minutes long when the crew realized this and immediately requested a return to Banjul. Upon landing, preliminary investigations indicated that there had been a loss of cabin pressure and oxygen.

“However, the technical team of the flight operating company, Air Côte d’Ivoire, is further assessing the situation to establish the cause of the lack of oxygen and pressure in the cabin. In this regard, the team, including players and staff, are now en route to the Ocean Bay Hotel awaiting further instructions.”

Gambia will commence their campaign at the 2023 AFCON against Senegal on Monday, January 15.

The latest report from the country confirmed that the President of the Gambia Adama Barrow has intervened and promised to provide a bigger airplane for the team that will fly the team to Yamoussoukro in Ivory Coast where they are expected to play most of their group stage games. They are expected to leave the Gambia later today.