The Confederation of African Football says it is opening an investigation into allegations by a visiting Gabonese football delegation that its members were “detained” at the airport in Banjul ahead of a crucial Africa Cup of Nations match against The Gambia.
Gambia’s Scorpions who had lost the reverse fixture in Francesville last Thursday went on to beat an Emeric Aubameyang-led Gabon 2-1 with goals from Modou Barrow and teammate Musa Barrow in the second half before a late consolation for the visitors caused a nervy end to the game.
By their victory, the West Africans returned to the summit of Group D tied on seven points with Gabon in second, thanks to a superior goal difference after four round of matches.
However, the Scorpions’ momentous step towards qualifying for their first Africa Cup of Nations tournament slated for Cameroon in 2022 has been overshadowed by an incident at the airport where the visiting Gabonese team had spent hours for apparently refusing to comply with Covid-19 emergency regulations.
There was consternation when pictures emerged on social media of some players of the Central African nation lying sprawled on the floor of the airport lobby, apparently taking a nap after they were stopped from leaving for their hotel.
Gabonese team captain Pierre Emeric Aubameyang took to social media, castigating CAF for its supposed silence over the supposed mistreatment of the visitors, a claim which was quickly dismissed by football authorities in Banjul.
The Gabonese claimed that there were no official delegation from the Gambia Football Federation to receive them at the airport.
However Gambian football authorities say the Gabonese had changed their hour of arrival so many times that they were left unable to confirm when the visiting team would arrive in Banjul for the top-of-the-table clash
Meanwhile hours before kick-off CAF officials emerged from a zoom meeting with Gambian and Gabonese football authorities with a statement announcing that it was opening an investigation into why members of the visiting team were not allowed to proceed to their hotel after touching down at the airport on Sunday.
Gambia’s health authorities blamed the delay on the Gabonese delegation’s alleged refusal to comply with Covid-19 test regulations at the airport for travellers entering the country.
The Gabonese said it was “poor gamesmanship by Gambia” to gain a physical and psychological edge over their Group D rivals ahead of the match in Banjul.
WN/as/APA