Gabon's forward #09 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang controls the ball during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) Group F football match between Gabon and Mozambique at Grand Stadium in Agadir on December 28, 2025. An injury-time winner by Bazoumana Toure condemned Gabon to a 3-2 defeat against defending champions Ivory Coast at the AFCON on Wednesday. “Given the Panthers’ disgraceful performance at the AFCON, the government has decided to dissolve the technical staff, suspend the national team until further notice, and remove players Bruno Ecuele Manga and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang,” Minister Simplice-Desire Mamboula said on Gabonese television late on Wednesday. “The national team highlights two major problems: the lack of method and the dispersion of resources,” he added. That could, however, land Gabon in trouble with football’s world governing body FIFA, which bans government interference in the affairs of its member associations.

Source: Punch January 01, 2026 16:02 UTC