Gabon’s disastrous campaign at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) has triggered drastic action from the country’s government. Following three straight defeats and a bottom-place finish in their group, the Gabonese authorities have suspended the national team, dismissed the coaching staff, and dropped senior players — including star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
The decision was announced publicly after Gabon’s dramatic 3–2 defeat to the Ivory Coast in Marrakech, where the Panthers surrendered a two-goal lead to crash out of the tournament.
Government Takes Hard Line After “Shameful” Display
Gabon’s acting sports minister Simplis-Désir Mamboula confirmed the suspension during a televised address on Wednesday, expressing strong disappointment with the team’s performances in Morocco.
“𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒇𝒇 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒖𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔’ 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑨𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒂 𝑪𝒖𝒑 𝒐𝒇 𝑵𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔,” 𝑴𝒂𝒎𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒂 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅.
Alongside the coaching overhaul, senior figures Bruno Ecuele Manga and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were also excluded from the squad.
Gabon’s elimination was sealed after defeats to Cameroon and Mozambique, before the heartbreaking loss to the Ivory Coast. Although Aubameyang did not feature in the final match due to injury and has since returned to Marseille for treatment, his omission sparked debate.
Responding on social media, the former African Footballer of the Year wrote:
“𝑰 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎’𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒎𝒔 𝒈𝒐 𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒖𝒂𝒍.”
FIFA Scrutiny Looms Over Government Intervention
While bans and suspensions for poor performances have occurred in African football history, such actions have become increasingly rare due to FIFA’s strict rules against political interference in football governance.
With the Gabonese government now directly intervening, attention turns to FIFA’s response and whether sanctions could follow.
For Gabon, the focus now shifts to rebuilding trust, structure, and results — both on and off the pitch.
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