Following Gabon’s early exit from the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025, the Gabonese government has suspended the national team and dissolved the coaching staff
Head coach Thierry Mayouma, who earned over 30 caps for Gabon as a player, and his technical team have been dismissed. Star players Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and captain Bruno Ecuele Manga have also been banned from future selection, despite missing Gabon’s final group game against Ivory Coast.
Gabon lost their opening two group matches and, in a dramatic final game, squandered a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2 to the defending champions, Ivory Coast, after Bazoumana Toure scored a stoppage-time winner. The defeat left Gabon bottom of Group F.
In a statement read on national television, the government said:
“Given the Panthers’ disgraceful performance at the Total Energies Morocco 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, and considering the multifaceted effects that are diametrically opposed to the values of ethics and exemplarity advocated by the Fifth Republic, the Government has decided: to dissolve the technical staff; to suspend the national team until further notice; to remove players Bruno Ecuele Manga and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from the team.
“Furthermore, the Government calls on the Gabonese Football Federation to assume all its responsibilities.”
Aubameyang, Gabon’s all-time top scorer with 41 goals, had returned to Marseille due to injury ahead of the third group game, while Ecuele Manga, the country’s most capped player with 105 appearances, was left out of the Ivory Coast match after starting the first two games.
The decision follows Gabon’s disappointing run in recent international competitions. Despite winning eight of their 10 World Cup qualifiers, the team failed to reach the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, losing to Nigeria in a play-off semi-final.
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