Gambia’s national soccer team, aka the ‘Scorpions’ recently encountered a heart-pounding turn of events on their way to the African Cup of Nations. A sudden drama unfolded during the perilous journey which transcended the boundaries of sports drama. 

A routine flight to the Ivory Coast took a life-threatening turn as the team encountered a sudden oxygen crisis. Just about nine minutes after the team embarked on the airborne venture their airplane had to make an emergency landing. The incident has truly sent shockwaves through the whole nation of Gambia and the soccer community.

Gambia’s ‘Scorpions’ fight for survival in mid-air emergency

After being in the air for just nine minutes, the technical problem was perceived by the crew members. The football federation of Gambia acknowledged the incident officially on Facebook. In the statement they wrote, “Upon landing, preliminary investigations indicated that there was loss of cabin pressure and oxygen.” 

They further notified that Air Cote d’Ivoire has launched an investigation to look into the matter and determine the cause of the problem. The national team of Gambia was supposed to reach Ivory Coast to appear in the 34th edition of the Africa Cup. Interestingly, the tournament was initially supposed to take place in the month of June-July 2023. However, due to extreme rainfall in the country, Ivory Coast decided to postpone the event. 

Reflecting on their traumatic experience, coach Tom Saintfiet stated that the entire squad “narrowly escaped death” while appearing in an interview with the Belgian network VRT. 

Soccer heroes suffering from Carbon Monoxide poisoning ahead of Africa Cup of Nations

Although the operating team of the flight opted for an emergency landing and saved the lives of players, they have been facing problems coping with the oxygen crisis. The coach of Gambia’s soccer team said, “We were all getting carbon monoxide poisoning. Some players also did not wake up immediately after landing”.

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In an Instagram post, Saidy Janko, a player of the soccer team of Gambia shared that the lack of oxygen left them with strong headaches and extreme dizziness. The people were falling fast asleep minutes after the takeoff.

Amid such an uncertain and gripping incident, the team and Gambia’s soccer fraternity stand united to handle the adverse situation. The ‘Scorpions’ are gearing up to embark on their journey again to Yamoussoukroto taking the sky route on Thursday afternoon to chase their dreams in the African Cup of Nations. 

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