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Gambian trick to attend soccer match

A chartered jet carrying 289 Gambian soccer fans pretended it needed to make an emergency landing so they could watch their team compete in the FIFA Under 17 World Championship, officials said yesterday. The plane, claiming to be low on fuel, landed Tuesday near the stadium in Peru`s northern coast city of Piura. The passengers who were on the plane were, not surprisingly in a country which practically worships soccer, permitted to attend the African team`s 3-1 victory over Qatar on Tuesday night but the plane remained in Piura while authorities determined what penalty, if any, to levy against the airline. The Air Rum plane, which is said to have been chartered by the Gambian President, should have made its approach to the capital but instead flew directly to Piura, entering Peruvian air space without permission. Emergency crews were scrambled ahead of the unscheduled landing by the Lockheed L1011 Tri-Star, owned by Air Rum Ltd.