The Gambia squad en route to Ivory Coast for the forthcoming 2023 Africa Cup of Nations "could have died" during a flight that was aborted, as stated by coach Tom Saintfiet.
The Air Cote d'Ivoire flight made a swift turnaround just minutes after departing from the Gambian capital Banjul on Wednesday.
Saintfiet suggests that there was a deficiency of oxygen, resulting in many members of the delegation falling asleep due to the conditions.
The coach commended the quick thinking of the pilot for ensuring the safety of his team.
Officials from the airline confirmed the occurrence of a pressurisation issue.
"The local crew said there was a problem with the air conditioning before we took off but that it would be all fine when we took off," Saintfiet told BBC Sport Africa.
"After a few minutes, it was very hot in the plane.
"We all fell asleep because there was a lack of oxygen - some of the players couldn't be woken up. The pilot noticed and we had to return.
"People got headaches and if the flight had gone on for another 30 minutes, the whole team would have died. The strange thing is that the oxygen masks didn't come out - it's good that the pilot realised that this was a deadly situation and so turned back.
"But we are still in shock."
Air Cote d'Ivoire is the official airline of AFCON 2023, and a statement from the company stated that the aircrew decided to return due to a pressurisation problem.
It added that the issue could have been resolved by a ground mechanic, but the flight was ultimately cancelled because of the impact earlier delays had on the crew's working hours.
Saintfiet suggested that passengers could have been facing carbon monoxide poisoning, but Gambia Football Federation (GFF) president Lamin Kaba Bajo said there was no evidence to support that statement.
"I never felt it and it's not clinically, scientifically or medically proven," Kaba Bajo told the BBC.
"Those are individual observations and perceptions, but there was not anything like that. I was almost sitting next to the coach and I didn't see anyone collapse.
"I know that people, when a plane takes off, they sleep.
"Some people were dozing, sleeping, but we landed safely. There was not a single incident, we all came down and boarded the bus to go back to the terminal."
The incident occurred four months after the Gambian team found themselves entangled in the devastating earthquake that struck the Moroccan city of Marrakesh in September, claiming the lives of over 2,000 people.
Despite the challenging experience during the aborted flight, The Gambia opted to engage in training upon their return to Banjul on Wednesday night, despite some members of the squad being unable to participate.
"Some players could not train because of what happened. They still have headaches and that is worrying, while some of the players are still dizzy," said Saintfiet.
"The team requested to train as we had been travelling overnight from Saudi Arabia to return home on Sunday, and Monday as well.
"We trained in a bid to release the stress."
Gambia, who reached the quarter-finals of their maiden Nations Cup two years ago despite being the lowest-ranked team, are due to face neighbours Senegal on Monday in their opening game.