Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has left Gabon’s training camp on the eve of a decisive Group C clash against Ivory Coast, dealing a major blow to the Panthers’ hopes of extending their AFCON 2025 campaign.
The Gabon captain departed the squad to return to Marseille after medical staff assessed a thigh injury that already limited him before the tournament.
The timing compounds Gabon’s difficulties, with the team entering its final group match after two defeats and needing a victory to keep any realistic qualification hopes alive.
Aubameyang’s withdrawal strips Gabon of experience and leadership at a moment of maximum pressure.
The striker arrived at the tournament carrying a fitness concern picked up at club level and never reached full sharpness during the opening matches.
Despite his presence, the Panthers struggled to convert possession into goals and failed to impose themselves against stronger opposition.
Team officials confirmed that Aubameyang will now follow a treatment and recovery programme in France, with the priority placed on restoring full fitness ahead of the Ligue 1 restart.
The decision ended any chance of a late rally led by the former Arsenal and Barcelona forward, who captains the national side and remains its most recognisable figure.
Gabon’s coaching staff now faces a difficult tactical recalibration ahead of the showdown with Ivory Coast.
Without their talisman, the Panthers must rely on collective discipline, energy, and efficiency in the final third to challenge an Elephants side that arrives with momentum and depth across the pitch.
The context sharpens the sense of frustration surrounding Aubameyang’s tournament. Expectations rose before kickoff in Morocco, yet fitness limitations reduced his influence and curtailed Gabon’s attacking threat.
His exit underscores the fine margins that define continental tournaments, where preparation, squad depth, and physical readiness often decide outcomes.
For Gabonese supporters, the news lands as a bitter reminder of a campaign that never gathered pace.
The team now confronts a final opportunity to restore pride and pursue an unlikely qualification scenario, even as it does so without its captain.
Ivory Coast, meanwhile, prepares to exploit any uncertainty. The Elephants know that Gabon must chase a result, and they will test a reshuffled Panthers lineup from the opening whistle. Gabon must respond with urgency, cohesion, and belief to keep their AFCON journey alive.
