1.1.2026
Gabon has suspended its national team and banned captain Pierre Emerick Aubameyang from ever playing for the country.
Having failed to win a single match in their group F and losing to Cote d’Ivoire 3-2 in their last game, Gabon was sent packing from the tournament sparking anger back at home.
Gabon’s interim minister of sport reportedly announced that the team has been suspended in a statement on national television on Wednesday. According to local media, he said Aubameyang and player Bruno Ecuélé Manga had been sacked but made no mention of coach Thierry Mouyouma.
However, the video clip of Mamboula’s declaration was later removed from the social media channels of Gabon Télévision, and no corresponding statement was published on the government website. There’s been speculation that the statement could contravene FIFA’s rules against political interference in the sport.
Before Wednesday’s final group game, Gabon’s president, Brice Oligui Nguema, criticised the team for its performance in Morocco and blamed a “lack of method and the application of resources.”
Nguema said there was “a worrying erosion of patriotic sentiment in the management of sporting affairs,” according to broadcaster Gabon 24.
In a post on social media, Marseille striker Aubameyang defended himself, writing “I think the team’s problems run much deeper than the little person that I am.”