Coach Tom Saintfiet's team were due to have a farewell training session in front of their home fans at the national stadium in Banjul on Tuesday, January 9.
However, the players staged a boycott because they are still waiting for the bonus payments they were promised. There should have been $15,000 per player, but this has not yet been paid.
The players, therefore, decided to go on strike. The ones who ultimately suffered were the thousands of fans, waiting to watch their stars one last time.
Belgian coach Tom Saintfiet and the coaching team tried to keep the fans entertained. However, the fans made their displeasure known and called on the officials to pay the players.
It is unpleasant background noise that the Scorpions do not need now. Although they have a positive winning record (18 wins, 9 draws, 13 defeats in 40 games) since coach Saintfiet took charge in 2018, their chances of advancing to the knockout stage at the AFCON are very low.
The Gambia have to face defending champions Senegal on Monday, followed by rivals Guinea and five-time champions Cameroon to conclude the group stage.