The 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) hosts Gabon have decided to fire national team coach Jorge Costa, with the tournament only two months away.
The country will welcome 15 of the best national teams on the continent in January for the latest edition of the prestigious AFCON competition, but the hosts will now be destabilised following the decision to remove Costa at this late hour.
Gabon’s soccer federation, Fegafoot, announced the Portuguese coach’s sacking over the weekend.
He had originally been fired in June after the federation decided that the team’s poor results could not be accepted, but they went back on that decision and reappointed Costa in August with the mandate of taking the hosts to the final of the Nations Cup in February.
The Portuguese manager first took charge of the Panthers in 2014, with his last game at the helm being the 0-0 draw at home to Morocco in a World Cup qualifier last month. He was heavily criticised by media in the country for not attending the AFCON draw in Libreville on October 19.
Before his sacking he was the highest paid coach in Africa, with the federation paying Costa a monthly salary of around $77,300.
The 45-year-old former Portugal defender has been temporarily replaced by fellow Portuguese Jose Garrido, who was employed by the federation as technical director.
The change is not only destabilising for the country’s AFCON campaign, but also the World Cup qualifying match that is set to take place this coming weekend. Gabon travel to Bamako where they will face Mali in a crucial Russia 2018 qualifier on November 12.
As hosts Gabon have been drawn in Group A at the upcoming AFCON tournament, and will play Guinea-Bissau in the opening match of the showpiece event in Libreville on January 14.
The two other countries in their group are Burkina Faso and Cameroon, ensuring a tough selection of matches for the Panthers.
