Gabon suspends national team, drops Aubameyang after AFCON exit

By : Guardian Nigeria

Date: 1 January 2026 3:21pm WAT

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Gabonese striker, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Gabonese striker, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

The Gabonese government has suspended the country’s national football team, dissolved the coaching crew and excluded striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from the squad following the team’s elimination from the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco.

The decision was announced on state television by the acting Minister of Sports, Simplice-Désiré Mamboula, after Gabon finished bottom of their group with three defeats. “Given the Panthers’ disgraceful performance at the Africa Cup of Nations, the government has decided to dissolve the coaching staff, suspend the national team until further notice, and exclude players Bruno Ecuele Manga and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang,” Mamboula said after Wednesday’s 3–2 loss to Ivory Coast in Marrakech. Gabon had already been eliminated after losing their opening Group F matches to Cameroon and Mozambique.

In their final fixture, they surrendered a 2–0 lead against the defending champions, conceding three goals to a largely second-string Ivorian side. The team was coached by former international defender Thierry Mouyouma, who is now set to leave his post following the government’s decision to “dissolve the technical staff”. Aubameyang, 36, did not feature in the final match, having returned to his French club Olympique de Marseille for treatment on a thigh injury.

Veteran defender Bruno Ecuele Manga, 37, also did not play. Ecuele Manga is Gabon’s most capped player with 105 appearances, while Aubameyang remains the country’s leading goalscorer with 41 goals. Reacting to the decision, Aubameyang wrote on X: “I think the team’s problems are much deeper than the individual I am.” The former African Footballer of the Year had scored in Gabon’s 3–2 defeat to Mozambique earlier in the tournament.

Both he and Ecuele Manga are widely expected to have played their final matches for the national side. In a longer statement read on national television, the government said the measures were taken “given the Panthers’ disgraceful performance at the TotalEnergies Morocco 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, and considering the multifaceted effects that are diametrically opposed to the values of ethics and exemplarity advocated by the Fifth Republic”.

The statement added: “The Government has decided to dissolve the technical staff; to suspend the national team until further notice; and to remove players Bruno Ecuele Manga and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from the team. Furthermore, the Government calls on the Gabonese Football Federation to assume all its responsibilities.” Suspending national teams was once a common reaction by governments in Africa following poor results, but such actions have become rare in recent years due to FIFA’s strict rules against government interference in football administration.

Gabon’s disappointing AFCON campaign followed their failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, after losing to Nigeria in a one-off play-off semi-final in November. Despite winning eight of their 10 qualifying matches, they finished one point behind group leaders Ivory Coast and missed out on qualification.

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