The Scorpions of Gambia boycotted their training session in the national capital in protest for their unpaid bonuses and bad treatment from the state.
The players were scheduled to train on Tuesday, January 9, but they made the decision to skip it in protest of the incentives they were not paid.
The technical team ahead of their trip to Saudi Arabia were left in the dark over when they were traveling.
The side could only spend 5 days in Saudi Arabia for their pre-AFCON preparations despite the coach reportedly requesting for 10 days.
Reports are that, the Scorpions have not been informed of what bonus they will get if they are able to qualify from the group stage and the technical staff will get less than $2000 for their entire duration in the tournament including the training camp.
The players then decided to boycott their training session on Tuesday in protest of the treatment being meted out to them.
Despite the large turnout to witness the squad practise at the Independent Stadium, the supporters were left unsatisfied.
Tom Saintfiet, the head coach of the Gambia national team, interacted with the supporters with members of his technical team, but the supporters voiced their discontent and demanded that the players be paid by the authorities.
Supporters are hoping that the Gambia Football Federation would find a solution so that the Scorpions can resume practice on Wednesday.
At the 2023 AFCON, Gambia is in Group C and faces a daunting task in the opening match in a game against defending champions Senegal.
After that game, the Scorpions will go on to play against Guinea and Cameroon.