AFCON: Panic As Plane Carrying National Team Players Loses Oxygen

A potentially tragic incident was narrowly avoided when the plane carrying Gambia’s national football team made a sudden return to Banjul shortly after takeoff.

The team was en route to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast when the flight had to be delayed due to an oxygen-related issue.

In a statement, the Gambia Football Federation expressed regret over the situation, stating, “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.”

The players and officials will be rescheduled for a new departure time. The Gambia national team, known as the Scorpions, is placed in Group C alongside defending champions Senegal, five-time champions Cameroon, and Guinea.

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