The measures were confirmed late Wednesday by Sports Minister Simplice-Desire Mamboula during a televised address, following Gabon’s 3–2 defeat to defending champions Ivory Coast. An injury-time strike by Bazoumana Toure sealed the Panthers’ third straight loss of the tournament.
Gabon finished bottom of Group F without a point, behind Ivory Coast, Cameroon, and Mozambique. Their elimination had already been confirmed after Sunday’s 3–2 defeat to 102nd-ranked Mozambique.
“Given the Panthers’ disgraceful performance at the AFCON, the government has decided to dissolve the technical staff, suspend the national team until further notice, and remove players Bruno Ecuele Manga and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang,” Mamboula said.
The announcement video was briefly removed from official government and television platforms shortly after the broadcast before being reposted on Thursday.
According to reports, the Council of Ministers reviewed the team’s performance after the Mozambique loss, which effectively ended Gabon’s hopes of reaching the knockout stage. Aubameyang later returned to his French club, Marseille, citing a thigh injury.
President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema also condemned the team’s AFCON campaign, describing it as a blow to national pride.
“This has weakened part of our national identity,” the president said in a statement on Wednesday. “The national team reveals two major problems: a lack of method and the dispersion of resources.”
Nguema pledged “strong and structural decisions” to restore discipline, accountability, and ambition in the management of national sports.
However, the government’s intervention could expose Gabon to potential sanctions from FIFA, which strictly forbids political interference in the administration of national football associations.
