Gabon’s government has announced the suspension of the national football team, the sacking of their coach and the kicking of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang out of the squad after three defeats at the Africa Cup of Nations finals.
Gabon’s acting sports minister announced the suspension of the national team on television after they finished last in their group and were eliminated from the tournament in Morocco.
“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,” said Simplice-Désiré Mamboula after Wednesday’s 3-2 loss to Côte d’Ivoire in Marrakech.
Gabon, coached by the former defender Thierry Mouyouma, had already been eliminated after losing their opening pair of Group F fixtures to Cameroon and Mozambique, but in their final outing were 2-0 up over the defending champions before conceding three goals and going down to a second string Ivorian lineup.
Neither Aubameyang, 36, nor the 37-year-old defender Ecuele Manga played on Wednesday, with the former having returned to his club, Marseille, for treatment on a thigh injury.
Aubameyang, a former African Footballer of the Year, responded on social media, saying on X: “I think the team’s problems are much deeper than the individual I am.”
Disbanding the national team used to be a common reaction in Africa to disappointing results, but since Fifa, world football’s governing body, has taken a hard stance against government interference in the running of football associations, it has been a rare occurrence.
