Father of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang named joint Gabon manager

Former Gabon internationals Pierre-Francois Aubameyang and Daniel Cousin have been unveiled as the new coaches of the Western African nation.

Aubameyang, whose son Pierre-Emerick plays for Arsenal, made 80 appearances for the Gabon national team between 1985 and 1998, while Daniel Cousin won 56 caps between 2000 and 2014.

The two will have equal roles, with the ultimate target of Gabon qualifying for the 2019 African Cup of Nations.

Aubameyang and Cousin to succeed Camacho

Aubameyang, 52, and Cousin, 41, are expected to fill the role made vacant following the departure of Spanish coach José Antonio Camacho, who last week was dismissed by the country’s football federation (Fegafoot).

After two years in Gabon, Camacho gathered two wins against seven defeats and eight draws, with nine goals scored against 16 conceded in 17 official matches. A catastrophic record that resulted in his dismissal.

'Given the urgency and the current situation, it was decided to constitute, around the Panthers of Gabon, group of coaches with a very good knowledge of Gabonese football and its environment,' Fegafoot announced on Wednesday.

'Therefore, we have as national coaches, Pierre François Aubameyang and Daniel Cousin, while Françols Amegasse will act as General Manager.

'These three former captains of the national football team deserve, with their strong knowledge on the field and experience of top level competitions, to transmit their experience and tactical abilities to the team.'

Gabon is in the run for reaching the 2019 African Cup of Nations. They are currently third in Group C of the qualifiers with only one point from two matches, behind Mali (6 pts) and Burundi (4).

Only the top two of the group will qualify for the tournament in Cameroon.

The first competitive games for Aubameyang and Cousin are in mid-October, with back-to-back qualifiers against South Sudan.