Gabon’s government has imposed an indefinite suspension on its national football squad and barred star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from future selections, alongside veteran defender Bruno Ecuele Manga, after the team’s dismal exit from the Africa Cup of Nations, officials said Wednesday.
The measures, which also include firing the entire coaching team, follow the Panthers’ rock-bottom finish in their group, capped by a last-gasp 3-2 defeat to Ivory Coast that sealed their third straight loss in the tournament.
Sports Minister Simplice-Desire Mamboula broke the news on state television, stating: “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.”
The broadcast clip was briefly pulled from official channels before being reinstated the next day, amid scrutiny over the decisions.
President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, addressing the fallout, lamented: “This has weakened part of our national identity,” adding that the squad’s woes exposed “the lack of method and the dispersion of resources.”
He pledged “strong and structural decisions” to “restore rigour, responsibility and ambition in the governance of national sport,” according to a presidential statement.
Aubameyang, the Marseille forward, had already departed the tournament camp citing a thigh injury sustained in an earlier 3-2 setback against Mozambique.
The sweeping actions risk clashing with FIFA regulations against state meddling in football federations, potentially inviting sanctions for the Central African nation.
