The government of Gabon has suspended the national team and has also dismissed head coach Thierry Mouyouma, and banned Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang following their poor outing at the ongoing AFCON 2025 tournament in Morocco, Afrosport reports.
Gabon’s acting Minister of Sports Simplice-Desire Mamboula made the announcement on television after the Panthers finished last in Group F and were ultimately eliminated.
The Central African nation lost their group games, finishing behind Ivory Coast, Cameroon and Mozambique.
“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,” Mamboula said after Wednesday’s defeat to the Ivory Coast in Marrakech.
🎥 HIGHLIGHTS: 🇬🇦 2–3 🇨🇮
From behind to victorious, Côte d’Ivoire complete a stunning comeback against Gabon! #TotalEnergiesAFCON2025 pic.twitter.com/EbrawYk9Ih
— TotalEnergies AFCON 2025 (@CAF_Online) January 1, 2026
It marks the sixth time Gabon have been exited AFCON from the group stage out of their nine participations. Their best result remains a quarter-final finish as co-hosts with Equatorial Guinea in 2012.
The actions of the Gabon government could lead world football governing body FIFA to impose sanctions and a ban from international competitions on the country’s football association if these decisions are not reversed.
