Gambia coach Tom Saintveit has claimed that the Gambia national team traveling to Ivory Coast to participate in the upcoming 2023 Africa Cup of Nations “could have died” during an aborted trip.
The Air Cote d'Ivoire flight returned just minutes after departing from the Gambian capital, Banjul, on Wednesday.
Santveit believes there was a lack of oxygen, saying the conditions caused many members of the delegation to fall asleep.
The coach praised the pilot's quick thinking in maintaining the safety of his team.
Officials from the airline confirmed that there was a pressure problem.
“The local crew said there was a problem with the air conditioning before we took off, but it will be fine when we take off,” Saintveit told BBC Sport Africa.
“After a few minutes, it was very hot in the plane.
“We all fell asleep due to lack of oxygen, and we couldn't wake up some of the players. The pilot noticed and we had to go back.
“People got headaches, and if the flight had continued for another 30 minutes, the whole team would have died. The strange thing is that the oxygen masks did not come out, and it is good that the pilot realized that this was a fatal situation and so he turned back.
“But we are still in shock.”
Air Cote d'Ivoire is the official aircraft of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, and a company statement said the air crew decided to return due to a pressure problem.
She added that the problem could have been resolved by a mechanic on the ground, but the flight was ultimately canceled due to the impact of the previous delay on the crew's working hours.
Saintveit suggested that the passengers may have been exposed to carbon monoxide poisoning, but Gambia Football Association president, Lamine Kaba Bajo, said there was no evidence to support this statement.
“I have never felt that way and it has not been proven clinically, scientifically or medically,” Kaba Bajo told the BBC.
“These are individual observations and perceptions, but there was nothing like that. I was almost sitting next to the coach and I did not see anyone breaking down.
“I know that when the plane takes off, people fall asleep.
“Some people were asleep, but we landed safely. There was not a single accident. We all got off and took the bus back to the station.”
