Gabon national team capture six hours delay on social media

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER

GABON captain and Arsenal forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, along with his teammates were forced to wait at the Gambian airport for six hours on Sunday evening before they were allowed into the country.

The team had arrived in the Gambia ahead of their Monday night Africa Cup of Nations qualifier match against the nation’s football team but were delayed at Banjul International Airport due to COVID-19 regulations.

Aubameyang, along with his teammates, documented the entire wait on Instagram. The players and coaching staff were all awaiting their COVID-19 test results and could not head to their hotel. 

Through Aubameyang’s Instagram stories, the video clips showed the team and coaching staff sleeping off their fatigue on the airport floors. 

He also requested the Confederation of African Football to take responsibility for the matter – which left the Gabon national team with less than 10 hours to prepare for the Afcon qualifier. 

“This will not demotivate us but people need to know and especially that CAF takes these responsibilities. In 2020, we want Africa to grow and this is not how we’re going to get there!!”, Aubameyang posted.

The Gabonese captain later posted an image of the team boarding a bus to their hotel with the words, “Finally in the bus, see you later. Thanks for the extra motivation Gambia”. 

Gabon sealed a 2-1 victory over Gambia last Thursday, securing a three-point lead at the top of their Group D table ahead of the Afcon tournament which is due to start in January 2022.