Gabon Bans Aubameyang And Suspends National Team After AFCON 2025 Exit

Gabon’s government has taken the rare step of suspending the national football team after a group-stage exit at the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 in Morocco, dissolving the entire coaching staff and banning senior players Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and captain Bruno Ecuele Manga from future selection.

The decision follows a dramatic collapse against holders Ivory Coast in Gabon’s final Group F match. Gabon lost the first two games, then moved 2-0 ahead in the last fixture, before conceding three goals and losing 3-2 after Bazoumana Toure scored a stoppage-time winner, leaving Gabon bottom of the group.

Authorities responded after what they viewed as a serious failure at the Africa Cup of Nations. The government announced that the national team would be frozen "until further notice", while the technical staff, led by head coach Thierry Mayouma, who earned more than 30 caps for Gabon, would be formally disbanded.

"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."

The move came even though Aubameyang and Ecuele Manga did not feature in the final match against Ivory Coast. Aubameyang had already returned to Marseille with an injury before the third group game, while Ecuele Manga, Gabon’s most capped player with 105 appearances, was left out after starting the opening two fixtures.

Aubameyang remains Gabon’s leading scorer with 41 international goals, yet status and experience offered no protection from the wide-ranging measures. Ecuele Manga’s long service as captain also did not prevent the sanction, with both players now excluded from the national set-up under the government order.

The government’s statement also placed responsibility on the Gabonese Football Federation, urging the body to deal with the situation. Officials criticised the campaign’s impact on public image and values, arguing that the performance at the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 failed to match standards expected under the country’s current political leadership.

Gabon’s struggles at the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 came despite strong form in World Cup qualifying. The national team won eight of ten qualifiers yet still missed the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, after losing to Nigeria in a play-off semi-final that ended hopes of reaching the global tournament.

The suspension of the Gabon national team leaves the programme in limbo, with no timeline offered for a return to competition. With the technical staff removed, leading players excluded and the federation urged to "assume all its responsibilities", major questions now surround how Gabon will rebuild after the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 exit.