AFCON Qualifiers: Aubameyang slams CAF over bizarre Banjul airport delay

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has slammed the Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) for poor organisation while stuck inside an airport on Sunday night as his Gabon side travelled to face Gambia.

The Arsenal striker and his teammates arrived in Gambia on Sunday night ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.

They were left waiting in the airport by staff.

Some players were left to sleep on the floor and even had their passports confiscated despite proving they had passed Covid-19 tests.

After initially arriving at 23:30 it wasn’t until 06:00 on Monday that the team were allowed entry into the country.

Aubameyang made clear his frustration over the wait on his Instagram story and Twitter in the early hours, posting pictures of himself and his teammates waiting around.

In one post Aubameyang claimed he was made to feel like a ‘hostage’.

He wrote: “Just want to know why Gambia kept our passports for hours and they keep us at the airport. Are we hostages or what? Are you gonna close your eyes?”

At 6:00 am Aubameyang finally let his fans know that he and his teammates were on the bus and on their way out of the airport, thanking staff for ‘the extra motivation’ ahead of the qualifier.

However, Gabon went on to lose the controversial fixture 2-1, while Aubameyang did not get on the scoresheet.