Gabon Suspends National Team, Sacks Coaching Staff, Bans Aubameyang And Manga After AFCON 2025 Failure
The Gabonese government has suspended the national football team and dissolved the coaching staff following the country’s disappointing exit from the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Head coach Thierry Mayouma, a former Gabon international with over 30 caps, and his technical team have been dismissed. In addition, captain Bruno Ecuele Manga and all-time top scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have been banned from future national team selection, despite missing Gabon’s final group game against Ivory Coast.
Gabon lost their opening two group matches before blowing a 2-0 lead in their final game, succumbing 3-2 to the defending champions after Bazoumana Toure scored a stoppage-time winner. The defeat left the Panthers at the bottom of Group F.
In a statement broadcast 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, who is Gabon’s all-time leading scorer with 41 goals, had returned to Marseille due to injury before the final group match, while Manga, the country’s most capped player with 105 appearances, was dropped after starting the first two games.
The sanctions come after Gabon’s broader struggles in international competitions, including failing to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, despite winning eight of their 10 qualifying matches and losing to Nigeria in a play-off semi-final.
