Gabon captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has announced that he is stepping back from the national team, saying he felt “humiliated” by his exclusion and subsequent reinstatement after the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco. The top scorer in the history of the Panthers was singled out by the Gabonese government as responsible for the AFCON failure. The government fired the coaching staff, suspended the team until further notice and sidelined Aubameyang and 38-year-old Bruno Ecuele Manga.
The suspension of these veteran mainstays of the squad sparked a wave of outrage among Gabonese supporters. The Gabonese striker has set himself what is likely to be a final challenge in Europe, leaving Marseille to join Deportivo La Coruna, who have just returned to La Liga after a long spell in the wilderness. Gabon’s new national team coach, Sebastien Migne, will now have to plan without Aubameyang as he prepares his team for their first qualifiers later this month for next year’s AFCON.
Gabon are in Group A with World Cup quarter-finalists Morocco as well as Niger and Lesotho.
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