Players feared death on plane, fans died in street – epic joy and tragedy at major tournament | Sport

At the same time that the top football leagues are in full swing in Europe, two major national team tournaments are being played in the world, the African and Asian championship tournaments.

The African Games hosted by Ivory Coast were supposed to be held in the summer of 2023, but due to the rainy season, they were moved to their traditional place at the beginning of the year.

The Asian Championships were to be held in China in 2023, but due to the country’s corona policy, they were given to Qatar, where it would have been too hot to play in the summer.

In Europe, the games often become a topic of conversation, especially because the top clubs have to give up their star players in the middle of the season. Of course, they also offer colorful matches and often, in many ways, special topics of conversation.

– It is very typical that unexpected things happen time and time again in these tournaments, and that is why they are interesting to watch for us, who see much more European football. These tournaments have their own charge, said Urheilu’s expert Miika Nuutinen.

Read more: Will Manchester City gain a huge advantage in the title race? The first stars of the competitors are taken to the national team in the middle of the season

A scary start to the race

It’s true that there hasn’t been a lack of events this time either. Even before the Games, a strange airplane episode made headlines.

The Gambian national team was leaving their home country for the competition venues, but the plane had to quickly make an emergency landing back to the capital of Gambia, Banjul. The plane’s air pressure had dropped alarmingly and the oxygen was threatening to run out.

Defender Saidy Janko said that as soon as they got on the plane, the players had experienced tremendous heat. The air conditioning did not work, and despite the staff’s promises, it could not be started. Due to the lack of oxygen, the players fainted.

Gambia’s Belgian coach Tom Saintfiet said that many of the players were in shock and suffered from headaches and dizziness after the incident.

Janko, who represents the Swiss Young Boys and previously performed for Manchester United, found the situation unacceptable. He opened up about it on Instagram and shared a video of panicked, sweaty players.

Finnish coach Jani Sarajärvi has worked as an assistant coach for Gambia, but now he does his own work remotely, because he got a job in Estonia, from the league club Nömme United. He has had time to get used to the strangest coincidences in his Gambia nest.

Now Sarajärvi stated For Iltalehti, that “it was another wonderful machine”. He said that the players were really afraid of dying on the plane.

– Now I was quite satisfied that I didn’t have to be involved in something like this again.

Even before the airplane episode, the Gambian team had boycotted training. The reason was a dispute over unpaid bonuses.

Superstar Salah’s injury

During the games, Liverpool’s star striker, who is fighting for the English Premier League championship, has spoken in particular Mohamed Salah’s hind thigh. Egypt’s biggest sports star was injured in his country’s group game against Ivory Coast.

Liverpool assistant coach Pep Lijnders said that Salah has a “decent tear” in his thigh.

– He is expected to return in three or four weeks, if everything goes well.

Egypt won the African Championship three times in a row between 2006 and 2010. In 2017 and 2021, Egypt lost in the final, so now the loss of Salah was a particularly huge disappointment for the Egyptians.

Played the most international matches in Egypt’s shirt Ahmed Hassan stated that Salah should stay in the team, even if he “could only stand on one leg”. However, Salah returned to Liverpool to rehabilitate.

Lijnders sees that rehabilitation in Liverpool is also the best for Egypt. The final will be played on February 11, so there is still hope in Egypt that Salah would return to the tournament.

– I said before that I am really happy how the medical teams of Egypt and Liverpool have worked together and made decisions together. This is an example of how international football and club football should work, to put the players in the center, Liverpool coach Lijnders praised.

Kicks here and there

Kicks have also been distributed. Ghana was left in the first group after losing to Cape Verde and drawing with Egypt and Mozambique.

Chris Hughtonwho is remembered for example in the Premier League as the pilot of Brighton and Newcastle, got a boot from the head coach of Ghana.

After Ghana lost to Cape Verde, Hughton got into a violent verbal confrontation with a fan of the team in a hotel.

– We have met with the coach and given him 100% assurance that we are firmly behind him, a spokesperson for the Ghana Football Association Henry Asante-Twum stated at the time.

French Jean-Louis Gasset on the other hand, got a boot from the head coach position of the Ivory Coast.

Ivory Coast beat Guinea-Bissau, but then lost to Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea. Ivory Coast then became the first host nation since 1984 to lose two group games.

What is special, the 0-4 loss against Equatorial Guinea was too much for the Ivory Coast Football Association, even though the Ivory Coast advanced to the playoffs from the comparison of the three groups. Therefore, in the playoffs, the team is piloted by an assistant coach Emerse Fae.

The Gambia, on the other hand, remained a group jumbo after losing all three of their games: against Guinea, Cameroon and Senegal. Head coach Tom Saintfiet resigned. At the same time, Jani Sarajärvi’s assistant coach must have ended.

Algeria, the champion of the 2019 tournament, suffered a 0-1 shock loss to Mauritania in the final game of their group and remained in the group jumbo. Head coach of Algeria since 2018 Djamel Belmadi resigned from his duties.

Tunisia also remained the jumbo of its own group. The head coach Jalel Kadri said immediately after the draw with South Africa in a TV interview that he was resigning.

Tanzania’s Algerian head coach Adel Amrouche instead received an eight-match ban after the first match of the tournament. Morocco beat Tanzania 3–0 in the match.

Moroccan FA bosses had contacted the Confederation of African Football and complained about Amrouche, who had criticized the position of the Moroccan FA. In Amrouche’s opinion, “Morocco has influence in the African Union and the opportunity to manipulate match schedules and refereeing”.

A tragedy for fans

When Guinea beat The Gambia last Friday, wild celebrations started in the West African country. Unfortunately, wild ones, because six people died.

Crazy football fans took to the streets of Conakry, the capital of Guinea, on motorbikes and cars. For example, people had been sitting on the hoods of cars. In addition to the deaths, several dozen were injured.

– People have to be careful not to put themselves in danger, because the goal of football is to bring joy and not leave families grieving. We don’t want more deaths, so we invite everyone to celebrate, but also to take care of themselves, said the media manager of the Guinean federation Amadou Makadji.

Also Pascal Feindouno, one of the best players in Guinea’s history, reassured the nation. In an interview with the BBC, the 42-year-old ex-footballer sent a message to “all Guineans”.

– We are doing well at the moment, so support your country, but don’t do anything to kill each other or yourself. Please keep calm.

Guinea finally progressed, collecting four points from the first group and progressing to the playoffs through the comparison of the three groups.

Sources: The Athletic, BBC, AFP