Durban Fans Disappointed As Aubameyang Misses Gabon’s AFCON Qualifier
Local football enthusiasts will be bitterly disappointed as former African Footballer of the Year, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, will not be participating in Gabon’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Lesotho.
Gabon is in Durban as they are scheduled to play Lesotho at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Tuesday (15:000.
The 35-year-old striker, who previously captained Arsenal and played for Chelsea and Barcelona, missed the first leg against Lesotho due to an injury on Friday.
Gabon coach Thierry Mouyouma confirmed the news in Durban, stating that they did not want to risk further aggravating Aubameyang’s injury. The team hopes to have him back in November. “He is injured. We didn’t want to take a chance and risk the injury further,” said Thierry Mouyouma to Sportswire in Durban on Friday.
“So, we will allow him to recover so that we can have him in November.
“But to think about November, we need to have a good game on Tuesday.”
Aubameyang, who recently returned to the national team, is the country’s all-time goal scorer with 31 goals in 77 appearances.
He has been instrumental in Gabon’s AFCON qualifying campaign, scoring twice when the AFCON qualification began in September, netting a solitary goal as Gabon lost 4-1 to Morocco and scored in the 2-0 win over Central African Republic.
Aubameyang’s absence will be felt as Gabon faces an uphill battle as Morocco, the hosts of the 2025 AFCON finals, currently leads the group with a perfect record.
Gabon, Lesotho, and Central African Republic are all vying for one remaining qualification spot. Only the top two teams from each group will advance to the tournament, but one in Group B.
Mouyouma, a former PSL player for Cape Town Spurs and Bidvest Wits, acknowledged Gabon’s recent struggles in AFCON qualifiers, including their failure to qualify for the 2023 edition.
Despite the challenges, Gabon defender Aaron Ondélé, remains optimistic and focused on the upcoming match against Lesotho.
“This is football, and I don’t know why,” Ondele said.
“We tried everything. Sometimes, you can play very well, and you don’t score, so you draw, and you lose.
“We are trying everything, and we hope that it will be fine – step by step. So, for me, this is not important, and the most important thing is the game on Tuesday, and we have to be focused on it.”
The team will also face Morocco and Central African Republic in November.
