RABAT, Morocco (AP) – Gabon’s government appears to have suspended its national soccer team and fired its coaching staff following a disappointing performance at the African Cup of Nations.
Gabon failed to win a match in the ongoing tournament.
The country’s caretaker sports minister, Simplicedésiré Mamboula, reportedly made the announcement on state television late on Wednesday, without specifying when the Gabon national team would resume play. He also said the government had decided to remove Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Bruno Ekuele Manga from the squad.
However, a video clip of Mamboula’s declaration was later removed from Gabon Television’s social media channels, and no corresponding statement was posted on the government website.
Team captain Aubameyang did not play in the Gabon match. Final group match against Ivory Coast on Wednesday after returning to his club Marseille due to injury.
The Panthers lost their first two games to Cameroon and Mozambique, and were already assured of last place and elimination.
Before Wednesday’s final group match, Gabonese President Brice Origi Nguema criticized the team’s performance in Morocco, blaming the “lack of application of means and resources.”
According to the Gabon 24 news agency, Nguema said there was a “worrying decline in patriotic sentiment in sports management”.
Ngema seized power for a time military coup in 2023.
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Associated Press at the Africa Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-cup-of-nations
