Reports are swirling that Gabon’s Football players to Keep an Eye on national football team has been suspended indefinitely. And star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, along with captain Bruno Ecuele Manga, is apparently banned from selection.
This drastic action, reportedly announced by the Gabonese government, follows the team’s “disgraceful” performance at the recent Total Energies Morocco 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). It’s a pretty dramatic turn of events, really.
Gabon’s AFCON Collapse Triggers Government Outrage
The supposed government decree came after Gabon crashed out of the AFCON group stage. They finished dead last in Group F. Losing all their games, the team’s performance was called “disgraceful” by the government.
In their final match, Gabon was actually leading Ivory Coast 2-0. But then, they just totally collapsed. Ivory Coast scored three goals in the final minutes to win 3-2. Jean-Phillippe Krasso, Evan Guessand, and Bazoumana Traore sealed that comeback victory.
Gabon’s acting sports minister, Simplice-Desire Mamboula, read the statement on national television. It confirmed the dissolution of the coaching staff. It also suspended the national team until further notice. And, yeah, it explicitly removed Aubameyang and Ecuele Manga from the team. Ecuele Manga is Gabon’s most capped player with 105 appearances.
Aubameyang, the country’s leading goalscorer with 41 goals, was also on the list. He scored in their 3-2 loss to Mozambique earlier in the tournament. But he missed the Ivory Coast game due to a thigh issue. Head coach Thierry Mayouma will also leave his role.
The government stated the team’s actions were “diametrically opposed to the values of ethics and exemplarity advocated by the Fifth Republic.” They even called on the Gabonese Football Federation to “assume all its responsibilities.” You can read more about it, apparently, from The Athletic.
Conflicting Reports Raise Questions
But here’s where things get really confusing. While these dramatic reports are out there, there’s a big question mark over them. No verified reports from trusted sources confirm this “Aubameyang banned as Gabon government suspend national team” headline. Major outlets like BBC, Reuters, ESPN, and official FIFA or CAF statements haven’t backed it up, not as of January 1, 2026. This is a pretty significant detail, right?
Apparently, Aubameyang retired from international duty way back in 2022. So, a ban seems a bit off if he’s not even playing for the national team. He’s still really active at club level, though. L’Équipe confirmed he scored for Marseille in a 2-1 win over Lyon just before the new year.
And Gabon hasn’t played senior national team matches since March 2025, according to FIFA records. That kinda makes the whole “AFCON 2025” narrative seem a little, well, out of place. This whole situation just seems unverified, honestly, or maybe even fabricated.
Government Intervention and FIFA’s Stance
Gabon’s government has stepped into football before. Back in June 2023, they actually suspended the national football federation (Fegafoot). That was after protests over leadership issues, Reuters reported. But that incident didn’t involve a team suspension or any player bans. So there’s a history of government involvement in Gabonese football.
FIFA, the world football governing body, usually takes a pretty hard line against government interference in football associations. Disbanding national teams used to be a more common reaction in Africa to bad results. But FIFA’s strict stance has made it a rare occurrence these days. Aubameyang, who’s 36, likely played his last game for Gabon in that Mozambique defeat.
And Bruno Ecuele Manga, 37, is probably in the same boat. Aubameyang himself responded on X, saying he thinks “the team’s problems are much deeper than the individual I am.” That’s a pretty telling statement. The whole situation is still unfolding, and frankly, it’s all a bit murky for fans and journalists alike. We’ll have to see if any more official confirmation surfaces.
Govind Singh 
Annsly Raena