Aubameyang Steps Back From Gabon After AFCON Fallout

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has announced that he is stepping back from the Gabon national team, saying he felt “humiliated” by his exclusion and subsequent reinstatement in the aftermath of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

The Gabon captain, 37, was singled out by the Gabonese government as being responsible for the team’s disappointing AFCON campaign. Aubameyang said he had played in the tournament while injured and described the situation as the final point in his decision to stop representing the Panthers.

“They humiliated and smeared me even though I played at the AFCON while injured,” Aubameyang said in a television interview. “This is the last straw, and I’d rather stop here.”

His decision removes Gabon’s all-time leading scorer from the international picture as the team prepares for its first qualifiers later this month for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations.

AFCON exit led to major Gabon reset

Gabon were eliminated in the group stage of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after losing all three of their matches. Their final defeat came against Ivory Coast, ending a tournament in which the Panthers failed to collect a point.

Following the early exit, Gabonese President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema said the national team had become a weakened part of the country’s identity. The government then fired the coaching staff, suspended the team until further notice and sidelined Aubameyang alongside fellow veteran Bruno Ecuele Manga, who is 38.

The move involving the two experienced players prompted a wave of outrage among Gabon supporters. Aubameyang, however, rejected the suggestion that one individual could explain the team’s problems.

“I think the team’s problems run much deeper than the little person that I am,” he said.

Aubameyang leaves international football as Gabon’s record goalscorer, with 40 goals in 86 appearances. His departure is significant not only because of his scoring record but also because he had been the captain and one of the most prominent figures in the national setup.

For Gabon, the immediate task is to move on from the AFCON disappointment while building a squad for the next qualifying campaign. The team has been placed in Group A with Morocco, Niger and Lesotho for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

New coach faces life without Gabon’s record scorer

New Gabon coach Sebastien Migne will now have to plan without Aubameyang as he prepares for his first qualifiers in charge. The coach inherits a side emerging from suspension, a group-stage elimination and the loss of a player who has supplied more international goals than anyone else in the country’s history.

Aubameyang’s international decision comes as he begins what the report describes as a likely final challenge in European club football. He has left Marseille to join Deportivo La Coruna, who have returned to La Liga after a lengthy period away from the top flight.

His club future and international departure now create two separate turning points. For Deportivo La Coruna, Aubameyang arrives for a new chapter in Spain. For Gabon, his absence means the next AFCON cycle will begin without the player who has defined the team’s attack for much of the modern era.

The circumstances of his exit ensure that the AFCON fallout will remain a major issue around the national side. Gabon’s upcoming qualifiers offer the first opportunity for Migne and his players to begin a reset, but they will do so without their captain and record scorer.