Gabon’s government has taken drastic measures following the national football team’s disastrous performance at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), announcing the suspension of the entire squad, the dismissal of the coaching staff, and the banning of veteran players Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Bruno Ecuele Manga.
The decision was announced late Wednesday by Sports Minister Simplice-Désiré Mamboula after Gabon suffered a 3-2 defeat to defending champions Ivory Coast, sealed by an injury-time winner from Bazoumana Touré.
The loss marked Gabon’s third defeat in as many Group F matches, leaving the Panthers bottom of the standings behind Ivory Coast, Cameroon, and Mozambique.
“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,” Mamboula said during a televised address on Gabonese television.
The announcement was briefly removed from official ministry and broadcaster platforms before being reposted on Thursday, without any explanation.
The team’s AFCON campaign had earlier been reviewed by the Council of Ministers following Sunday’s 3-2 defeat to 102nd-ranked Mozambique, a result that confirmed Gabon’s elimination from the tournament at the group stage.
Aubameyang returned to his French club Marseille after that match due to a thigh injury.
Reacting to the team’s poor showing, President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema described the performance as damaging to the country’s national identity.
“This has weakened part of our national identity,” the president said in an official statement released on Wednesday.
“The national team highlights two major problems: the lack of method and the dispersion of resources,” he added.
Nguema promised “strong and structural decisions” aimed at restoring discipline, accountability, and ambition in the governance of national sport.
However, the government’s intervention could put Gabon at odds with football’s world governing body FIFA, which strictly prohibits state interference in the affairs of its member football associations.
