Gambia’s national local team touched down in Annaba, Algeria just hours before their CHAN 2025 qualifying clash against Algeria, following a chaotic and delayed journey marked by missed connections and logistical setbacks.
Despite a formal request from the Gambian Football Federation for the match to be postponed by 24 hours, competition authorities declined the appeal.
Originally expected to arrive in Algeria on Wednesday evening in preparation for the decisive qualifier scheduled for Friday, the Gambian delegation instead endured a gruelling and disjointed travel ordeal.
Their arrival on the day of the match left them with little time for recovery or acclimatisation.
The travel issues began when the Scorpions A’ squad opted for an alternative route to Algiers via Nouakchott, Mauritania, rather than flying directly from Dakar with Air Algérie.
That decision proved costly. A delay on the Dakar–Nouakchott flight led to the team missing their onward connection to Algeria on Wednesday night.
Stranded in Mauritania overnight, the Gambian side used their time to conduct a training session at the FIFA Centre of Excellence in Nouakchott in a bid to maintain physical readiness.
However, their travel woes continued, as it was not until the early hours of Friday that the team was finally airlifted to Annaba by Tassili Airlines, following a stopover in Algiers.
With their match against the Fennecs A’ looming, the Gambian Football Federation submitted an official request to have the fixture pushed back to Saturday, citing the team’s exhausting travel conditions and lack of preparation time.
That request was ultimately rejected by the relevant competition organisers.
Despite their protest, the return leg of the CHAN 2025 qualifier, which follows a goalless draw in Banjul, is set to proceed as originally scheduled. The decisive fixture will kick off at 7 p.m. local time at the 19 Mai 1956 Stadium in Annaba.
The situation has drawn attention to the logistical challenges faced by national teams, particularly in African competitions where travel infrastructure and scheduling constraints can have a significant impact on team performance.
Gambia’s disrupted arrival risks compromising the fairness of the contest, given the physical and mental fatigue such a journey can impose on players.
As the CHAN 2025 qualifiers continue, the spotlight is now on how well Gambia’s squad can regroup in the limited time before kickoff. With qualification on the line, the team will need to dig deep both mentally and physically if they are to secure a positive result against Algeria away from home.
The match carries significant weight for both sides, with the winner set to move closer to securing a place in the African Nations Championship, a tournament reserved for players active in their domestic leagues.
Regardless of the outcome, Gambia’s turbulent lead-up to the fixture has underscored the importance of better logistical coordination and contingency planning in continental competitions, a challenge CAF and national federations may need to address more systematically in future tournaments.
