Aubameyang ‘humiliated’ as ex-Arsenal striker quits Gabon national team

What the report says

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has said he is stepping away from Gabon’s national team after what he described as humiliating treatment linked to the country’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations campaign in Morocco. Al Jazeera, citing AFP, reported on 2 September 2026 that the 37-year-old captain said he felt singled out after being excluded and then reinstated, despite playing while injured.

Aubameyang, Gabon’s all-time leading scorer and a former Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund striker, said in a television interview that he preferred to end his international career at this point. The remarks followed a troubled AFCON showing in which Gabon exited in the group stage after three defeats, including against Ivory Coast. The report says the Gabonese government blamed the team’s failure on Aubameyang and suspended him, along with veteran defender Bruno Ecuele Manga, while also dismissing the coaching staff and suspending the national side.

The episode triggered criticism from Gabonese supporters, according to the report, and highlighted wider concerns about the management of football in the country. Aubameyang has since moved on from Marseille to Deportivo La Coruna, while new Gabon coach Sebastien Migne must now prepare for the next AFCON qualifiers without one of the team’s most recognizable players.

In broader context, the decision matters because Aubameyang has been central to Gabon’s national team for years, and his exit marks the end of an era for a squad facing important regional qualifiers later this month.