Ed Dove
Gabon’s government has come down hard on the country’s national team following their shambolic performance at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), suspending the entire national team, excluding talisman Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from selection and dismissing head coach Thierry Mouyouma and his entire backroom staff.
Gabon were the second team eliminated from the ongoing AFCON in Morocco after consecutive defeats in their opening two matches, first falling 1-0 to neighbours and rivals Cameroon, before a 3-2 loss against unfancied Mozambique.
Their miserable group-stage campaign concluded with a third loss on Wednesday, as they stole into a 2-0 lead against defending champions Ivory Coast before capitulating and losing 3-2, missing out on an unlikely shot at redemption.
The country’s government has responded strongly, announcing on Wednesday — via a direct television communique — a series of strong measures taken against the “dishonourable performance” of the Panthers at the AFCON.
“Considering the multifaceted effects, which are the antithesis of the ethical and exemplary values advocated by the Fifth Republic, the government has decided to dissolve the technical staff, suspend the national team until further notice, and exclude players Bruno Ecuélé Manga and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang,” the country’s Minister of Sports Simplice-Desire Mamboula read out during a television briefing.
“[The Gabonese Football Federation are] invited to take full responsibility,” the statement added.
Aubameyang and Ecuele Manga — who had previously retracted his international retirement to return to the squad — each captained the national side during the first two matches at the Nations Cup, the former despite undertaking his own recovery plan on an injury sustained while in action for Marseille ahead of the competition.
“I think the team’s problems are far deeper than the little person who I am,” Aubameyang responded on Twitter.
Some hours after the television announcement, the government appeared to retract the statement, although it remains to be seen whether the provisions outlined in the communique will still be enacted.
FIFA statutes prevent government intervention into the affairs of each member country’s football association, and there may yet be consequences for Gabon, while it remains to be seen if this is the end of 36-year-old Aubameyang’s international career.
As well as the poor results on the pitch, Gabon’s AFCON campaign was beset with problems, from disputes between Marseille and FEGAFOOT on the handling of Aubameyang amidst his fitness problems, to criticism back home of the coach’s tactics.
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“This contempt must stop,” Mouyouma said of Marseille’s interference in Gabon’s use of Aubameyang during the tournament.
“We are playing in an Africa Cup of Nations, not a recovery camp.
“The player was tested, examined, and cleared by our medical staff and by the CAF medical commission,” he added. “During FIFA dates, players belong to their countries. I simply ask for respect for our work, our decisions, and our ambitions.”
Gabon were one of three teams — along with Botswana and Equatorial Guinea — to be eliminated from AFCON without taking a single point.
ESPN have reached out to FEGAFOOT for further comment.
