Gabon’s sports minister has announced the suspension of the national team, the sacking of the coaching staff, and the banning of veteran players Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Bruno Ecuele Manga following the team’s poor performance at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
The decision came after Gabon suffered an injury-time defeat to defending champions Ivory Coast, losing 3-2, marking their third consecutive loss in Group F. This left them at the bottom of the group behind Ivory Coast, Cameroon, and Mozambique, eliminating them from the knockout stages.
“Given the Panthers’ disgraceful performance at the AFCON, the government has decided to dissolve the technical staff, suspend the national team until further notice, and remove players Bruno Ecuele Manga and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang,” Minister Simplice-Desire Mamboula stated on Gabonese television.
The national team’s performance was reviewed by the Council of Ministers following a prior 3-2 defeat to Mozambique. Aubameyang had returned to his French club Marseille after the tournament due to a thigh injury.
President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema acknowledged the issues, saying the team’s struggles highlighted “the lack of method and the dispersion of resources” and promised “strong and structural decisions” to restore discipline and ambition in Gabonese sport.
However, FIFA may take issue with the government’s intervention, as its rules prohibit governmental interference in the affairs of member football associations.
