Image source: sports.yahoo.com
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been banned from representing Gabon after the country’s government suspended the national team and dismissed head coach Thierry Mouyouma following a disastrous Africa Cup of Nations campaign that saw them finish bottom of their group.
Aubameyang Excluded as Gabon Government Suspends National Team After AFCON Failure
The decision was announced by Gabon’s sports minister Simplice-Désiré Mamboula after the team crashed out of the tournament in Morocco without a single victory, suffering defeats to Cameroon, Mozambique and Ivory Coast. Gabon’s final group match ended in a humiliating 3-2 defeat to Ivory Coast on December 31, despite the Panthers taking a commanding two-goal lead during the encounter.
Mamboula described the team’s performances as completely unacceptable and confirmed sweeping disciplinary action against multiple individuals. “Given the Panthers’ disgraceful performance at the Africa Cup of Nations, the government has decided to dissolve the coaching staff, suspend the national team until further notice, and exclude players Bruno Ecuele Manga and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang,” the sports minister stated in his official announcement.
The 36-year-old Aubameyang did not even feature in Gabon’s final group match after returning to Marseille for treatment on a thigh injury, with his team already mathematically eliminated from the competition by that stage. The former Arsenal striker responded publicly to the government’s decision, firmly rejecting any suggestion that he bore individual responsibility for the national team’s tournament failure.
“I think the team’s problems are much deeper than the individual I am,” Aubameyang said in his response to the exclusion. The striker’s relationship with the Gabon national team has been consistently complex throughout his international career, during which he has served as both talisman and captain while also attracting criticism over his availability, discipline and fitness levels at various points.
Aubameyang previously announced his retirement from international football in May 2022 after earning 72 caps and scoring 30 goals during his 13-year international career, but later returned to the squad and captained Gabon again ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations tournament. Whether the Marseille forward will ever represent his country again remains unclear following this latest government intervention.
