Gabon’s government moved swiftly and dramatically after a winless Africa Cup of Nations campaign, announcing the suspension of the national team, the dismissal of the entire coaching staff and the removal of senior players Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Bruno Ecuele Manga.
The sweeping measures followed a chaotic group-stage exit capped by a 3-2 loss to defending champions Ivory Coast on Wednesday, sealed by Bazoumana Toure’s injury-time winner.
It was Gabon’s third defeat in three matches, leaving the Panthers rooted to the bottom of Group F behind Ivory Coast, Cameroon and Mozambique.
Interim Sports Minister Simplice-Desire Mamboula made the announcement on national television late Wednesday, describing Gabon’s AFCON showing as “disgraceful” and confirming that the technical staff had been dissolved and the national team suspended until further notice.
Aubameyang and Ecuele Manga, two of the country’s most experienced players, were also removed from the squad.
The declaration briefly disappeared from official government and broadcaster platforms before being republished on Thursday, adding to confusion around the timing and scope of the sanctions.
Gabon’s elimination had already been sealed by Sunday’s 3-2 defeat to 102nd-ranked Mozambique, a result that triggered an emergency review by the Council of Ministers.
Aubameyang, the team captain, returned to his French club Marseille shortly afterward with a thigh injury and did not feature against Ivory Coast.
President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema publicly criticized the team earlier in the week, saying the AFCON campaign had “weakened part of our national identity.”
In an official statement, he cited “a lack of method and the dispersion of resources” as core problems and promised “strong and structural decisions” to restore discipline, responsibility and ambition in Gabonese sport.
Nguema, who seized power in a 2023 military coup, also warned of what he called a troubling erosion of patriotic sentiment in the management of sporting affairs.
The government’s intervention, however, could expose Gabon to sanctions from FIFA, which strictly prohibits political interference in the running of national football associations. As of Thursday, there was no indication of when the suspended national team would return to competition.
