Gambia's Football team escapes a potential disaster after facing oxygen depletion in AFCON flight

The Gambia's national football team encountered a distressing incident during their flight to the Africa Cup of Nations as a loss of cabin pressure and oxygen forced the plane to return to Banjul.

The Gambian national football team encountered a harrowing experience when their scheduled flight to the Africa Cup of Nations had to abruptly return to Banjul due to a "loss of cabin pressure and oxygen" just nine minutes into the journey. Coach Tom Saintfiet revealed that the players and staff were "afraid of dying" during the incident, which lasted about 30 minutes. Despite the scare, everyone on board is reported to be in good health. This unsettling event adds to the challenges faced by the team, who recently boycotted a training session over a qualification bonus dispute. The squad is set to resume travel to the tournament venue after the unnerving episode.

"We were afraid of dying, the whole team -- for 30 minutes we saw ourselves dying," Saintfiet told AFP by telephone.

"After yesterday's experience, we are still a little afraid of travelling and have little headaches still too, but we want to leave, to finish preparing for the CAN."

The flight incident capped a difficult preparation for the team, who boycotted their last training session before leaving for the tournament over a qualification bonus dispute.

The players had skipped training while demanding a bonus payment for qualifying for the tournament, local media reported, but the decision angered supporters who had come to watch the team in action.

Fans vandalised parts of the Independence Stadium in Bakau, not far from the capital Banjul.

Captain Omar Colley confirmed to local media on Wednesday that the bonuses had since been paid.