Why did the Gabon government fire its national football team?

Gabon’s government announced the suspension of the national team and the sacking of its coach before kicking Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang out of the squad after three defeats in the Africa Cup of Nations final.

Gabon’s sports minister announced on television the suspension of the national team after it finished last in the group and was eliminated from the tournament in Morocco.

“Given the disgraceful performance of the Panthers at the Africa Cup of Nations, the government has decided to disband the coaching staff, suspend the national team until further notice and exclude players Bruno Ecuele Manga and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang,” acting sports minister Simplice-Desire Mamboula said after Wednesday’s 3-2 defeat to Ivory Coast in Marrakech.

Gabon, coached by former defender Thierry Mouyouma, had already been eliminated after losing their first two Group F games to Cameroon and Mozambique, but in their last outing they were 2-0 ahead of the defending champions before conceding three goals and going down to a second-tier Ivorian line-up.

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Neither Aubameyang nor veteran defender Ecuele Manga played on Wednesday, with the former having returned to his French club Olympique de Marseille for treatment on a thigh injury.

The former African Footballer of the Year responded Xsaying, «I think the team’s problems are much deeper than the individual that I am.»

Aubameyang would probably have played his last game for Gabon at the age of 36 in the side’s defeat to Mozambique, as was probably the case with 37-year-old former Cardiff City defender Ecuele Manga.

Disbanding the national team used to be a common response in Africa to disappointing results, but since world football’s governing body, FIFA, has taken a hard line against government interference in the governance of football associations, this has become a rare occurrence.

Published on January 1, 2026