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Gabon Suspends National Team, Fires Coaches, Drops Aubameyang After AFCON Exit

Officials cite structural failings, tasking the federation with responsibility.

Overview

  • Sports Minister Simplice-Désiré Mamboula announced the dissolution of the coaching staff, the suspension of the Panthers until further notice, and the exclusion of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Bruno Ecuele Manga.
  • An official communiqué invited the Gabonese Football Federation to assume full responsibility for the situation.
  • Authorities provided no timetable for lifting the sanctions and have not identified a successor to lead the technical staff.
  • Gabon lost all three group matches at the Africa Cup of Nations, finishing with a 3-2 defeat to Ivory Coast after taking a 2-0 lead.
  • Aubameyang, who plays for Marseille, returned to France with left-thigh pain before the final group game and later wrote on X that the team’s problems run deeper than any individual.