Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s international future has been thrown into doubt once more after the Arsenal striker refused to travel for an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier to Juba,South Sudan.
The 29-year-old played against South Sudan on Friday, as Gabon won 3-0 on home soil in Libreville.
But his on-again, off-again relationship with the Gabonese FA took a fresh twist on Sunday less than a month after he blasted their “amateurish” hiring of his father as national team coach.
Aubameyang, nursing a slight knock, didn’t train on Sunday and then didn’t travel with his teammates for Tuesday’s return clash in Juba in the following day.
According to L’Equipe, that came after a furious Aubameyang ‘rebelled’ against the plane that the FA had arranged for the journey.
The £57million frontman believed that the aircraft didn’t meet the ‘standards required for top athletes’ and allegedly told chiefs: “I will not board that thing”.
Sources in the team told www.soka25east.com in Juba that Aubamenyang has resorted to doing what he wants at the national team something that had not gone down well with the other players.
“Aubameyang has continued with his negative attitude in the national team and most of the players feel that he is “above the laws” It is a very dicy situation but it is absurd to see how he behaves towards his own national team”
“We know he is a good player but to look down upon the national team that so many players in Africa are proud of is disturbing to say the least.We have not decided on any action as the federation but lets see how it goes” a top official who sort anoymity told www.soka25east.com
When soka25east.com sort the comments of the FA Boss Pierre Mounguigui on the issue he was not forthcoming only nodding his head “Aubameyang will be in our next game against Mali”he said choosing to avoid any confrontation with the player who has been termed as “boisterous and indisciplined “.
As such, Aubameyang broke off from the squad and flew back to London instead, missing the 1-0 win as Gabon inched closer to a possible spot at next summer’s AFCON finals.
Now Aubameyang’s international career is again in doubt. The ex-Borussia Dortmund forward has 51 caps and 20 goals for his country, since making his debut in March 2009.
He has often skipped friendlies in recent years, appearing in just two of the last nine, but his latest act of defiance again puts his Gabon career in question.
The Gabon government dispatched a chartered flight from Libreville that came for the players in Juba on Wednesday afternoon before most of the squad connected to their Europe bases from Libreville.
