Gabon's government suspends national team after 'disgraceful' AFCON, bans Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
An official statement announced the decision to dissolve the technical staff and also ban the captain Bruno Ecuele Manga.
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Gabon’s national team has been suspended by the government until further notice after they were eliminated from the group stage of the Africa Cup of Nations.
Marseille striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Gabon’s captain Bruno Ecuele Manga have been banned from selection while the coaching staff have been dissolved.
Gabon finished bottom of Group F after losing all of their games at AFCON. They were beating Ivory Coast 2-0 in their final fixture but then collapsed. Jean-Phillippe Krasso’s 44th minute strike and goals in the last 10 minutes from Evan Guessand and Bazoumana Traore secured Ivory Coast victory.
After being eliminated from the tournament, the Gabonese government released a statement, read aloud on national television, calling the team’s performance “disgraceful” and said Aubameyang and Ecuele Manga have been “excluded” from representing them. Ecuele Manga is the country’s most capped player (105) while Aubameyang is their leading goalscorer (41).
Ecuele Manga started their first two games at AFCON but was dropped against Ivory Coast. Aubameyang scored in their 3-2 defeat to Mozambique but was left out of their squad for Ivory Coast due to a thigh issue.
Gabon’s head coach Thierry Mayouma, who made over 30 appearances for them during his playing career, will leave his role after the government decided to “dissolve the technical staff”.
The full statement said: “Given the Panthers’ disgraceful performance at the Total Energies 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 Government has decided: to dissolve the technical staff; to suspend the national team until further notice; 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.”
In November, Gabon failed to qualify for this summer’s World Cup after they lost to Nigeria in a one-legged play-off semi-final. Gabon won eight of their 10 World Cup qualifiers but finished a point behind group leaders Ivory Coast.
