The Gambia squad travelling to Ivory Coast for the upcoming 2023 Africa Cup of Nations “may have died” throughout a flight that was aborted, coach Tom Saintfiet claimed.
The Air Cote d’Ivoire flight rotated simply minutes after leaving the Gambian capital Banjul on Wednesday.
Saintfiet believes there was a scarcity of oxygen, saying situations prompted lots of the delegation to go to sleep.
The coach praised fast pondering by the pilot for retaining his staff protected.
Officers from the airline confirmed there had been a pressurisation concern.
Saintfiet instructed BBC Sport Africa: “The native crew stated there was an issue with the air-con earlier than we took off however that it will be all fantastic after we took off.
“After a couple of minutes, it was very popular within the airplane.
“All of us fell asleep as a result of there was a scarcity of oxygen – a number of the gamers could not be woken up. The pilot observed and we needed to return.
“Individuals obtained complications and if the flight had gone on for one more half-hour, the entire staff would have died. The unusual factor is that the oxygen masks did not come out – it is good that the pilot realised that this was a lethal scenario and so turned again.
“However we’re nonetheless in shock.”
Air Cote d’Ivoire is the official airliner of Afcon 2023, and an announcement from the corporate stated the air crew determined to show again due to a pressurisation downside.
It added that the difficulty may have been resolved by a mechanic on the bottom, however that the flight was finally cancelled due to the affect earlier delays had on the crew’s working hours.
Saintfiet recommended the passengers may have been dealing with carbon monoxide poisoning, however Gambia Soccer Federation (GFF) president Lamin Kaba Bajo stated there was no proof to help that comment.
“I by no means felt it and it isn’t clinically, scientifically or medically confirmed,” Kaba Bajo instructed the BBC.
“These are particular person observations and perceptions, however there was not something like that. I used to be virtually sitting subsequent to the coach and I did not see anybody collapse.
“I do know that individuals, when a airplane takes off, they sleep.
“Some folks have been dozing, sleeping, however we landed safely. There was not a single incident, all of us got here down and boarded the bus to return to the terminal.”