Gabonese football star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been dropped from the national team after the government suspended the squad in response to a disappointing run at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals in Morocco.
The decision also saw the coaching staff sacked and veteran defender Bruno Ecuele Manga excluded from the team.
Acting Sports Minister Simplice-Desire Mamboula announced the drastic measures on Wednesday, calling the team’s performance “disgraceful.”
“Given the Panthers’ disgraceful performance at the Africa Cup of Nations, the government has decided to dissolve the coaching staff, suspend the national team until further notice, and exclude players Bruno Ecuele Manga and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang,” Mamboula said following Gabon’s 3-2 defeat to Ivory Coast in Marrakesh.
Gabon, coached by Thierry Mouyouma, exited the tournament at the group stage, losing to Cameroon and Mozambique in their first two matches. In their final game, the team squandered a 2-0 lead against Ivory Coast, conceding three goals to a second-string lineup.
Aubameyang had already returned to his club Olympique de Marseille for treatment on a thigh injury, and neither he nor Ecuele Manga featured in the last match.
On social media, the striker suggested that the team’s issues were deeper than individual players.
“I think the team’s problems are much deeper than the individual I am,” Aubameyang wrote on X.
