Yankuba Minteh, a player for Newcastle United, has had a terrible experience with the coaches and other members of the Gambia national team.
On the aircraft carrying them to the Africa Cup of Nations, the cabin oxygen supply malfunctioned.
“We would all have been dead after another half hour of flying,” stated Tom Saintfiet, the manager of the Gambia team.
The guy from Belgium described how he and the other players all passed out very soon and nearly suffered carbon monoxide poisoning.
Belgian football manager Tom Saintfiet has been speaking to media in his native Belgium about the ordeal, telling Niewsblad:
All of us might have perished.
“We all slept off very fast.
“I dreamed briefly about how my life would end.
genuinely and sincerely.
Because there was no oxygen supply, the pilot made the decision to return after nine minutes.
“On the plane, some players slept through until right after the landing.
“We nearly suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning.
“Had we flown for an additional thirty minutes, we would have all perished.”
“Now that we are back in the Gambia, we would prefer not to travel in such an aircraft.
“Maybe that was the smallest they could find for fifty people, equipped with propellers.”
As if its ability to fly was the only thing that mattered.
“There are boundaries.
“I won’t sacrifice my life for my job off the field; I’m willing to die on the football field.”
The aircraft had taken off on Wednesday from the capital of the Gambia, Banjul, but had to return because of an emergency that materialized very quickly.
The Gambia must now find a secure means to continue traveling to the Ivory Coast in order to participate in their AFCON group matches against Senegal, the current holders, on Monday.
One other member of the Gambia team is Saidy Janko, who is now on loan at Feyenoord alongside Yankuba Minteh, a player for Newcastle United.
The former Manchester United prospect, who currently plays for Young Boys in Switzerland, used Instagram to share his feelings and those of the team following the incident. Janko assisting the manager of the Gambia team.
“Unacceptable.
We were scheduled to take a flight from The Gambia to Ivory Coast for the AFCON today [Wednesday], having spent 32 hours traveling overall from Saudi Arabia [Training Camp] to The Gambia, including lengthy layovers in Istanbul and Casablanca.
We were drenched in sweat as soon as we stepped inside the tiny aircraft that had been leased to transport us.
The crew promised that as soon as we took off, the air conditioning would turn on.
Several persons experienced severe headaches and significant dizziness as a result of the unbearable heat and the resulting oxygen shortage.
Furthermore, minutes after boarding the flight and taking off, passengers began to nod off deeply.
Nine minutes after departure, the pilot had to make an emergency landing back at Banjul airport due to deteriorating conditions while in the air. which was accomplished.
“The repercussions may have been far worse if it weren’t for this!
“Being aware of the potential consequences, should we have remained in that scenario for an extended period of time—aboard an aircraft, running out of oxygen—
“While we are happy that everyone is doing well, this is only one of our challenges when serving overseas, and it is something that needs to be solved before the AFCON.
“This has to stop immediately because it is unacceptable.”
