Close Call: Gambian Soccer Team's Scary Flight Experience

A near disaster unfolded as the Gambian national team was traveling to the Africa Championship, but a plane malfunction caused passengers, including players and staff, to faint.

The Gambian team took off on Thursday from Banjul airport, destined for the Ivory Coast to participate in the Africa Championship. According to reports, just nine minutes after takeoff, some players and staff fainted due to an oxygen drop, while others experienced dizziness and strong nausea. Following the malfunction, the plane had to make an emergency landing, preventing a greater tragedy.

Team coach Tom Saintfiet stated, "People fainted quickly, including me. I lost consciousness and had a clear vision of my life ending. Some players didn't wake up until we landed. After nine minutes, the pilot noticed something was wrong and decided to make an emergency landing. That saved our lives. I'm ready to die on the field but not off it."

One of the players, Saidy Janko, recounted, "After 28 exhausting hours on the road, we boarded the plane that was supposed to take us to the Africa Championship. The plane was small, and some of us started sweating as soon as we boarded and began to feel something was wrong. The crew said the air conditioning would be turned on once airborne; it didn't happen. Players started feeling very ill. Some vomited, some felt dizzy. Some just fainted. We were lucky."

Following the incident, the team released an official statement announcing that all players are recovering and feeling well. Gambia will start its games in the Africa Championship next Monday.