Gabon coach’s fate up in the air

Frenchman Patrice Neveu was reported to be the first coaching casualty after the conclusion of this week’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers but Gabon’s football federation on Wednesday denied they had fired him.

Gabon’s government newspaper L’Union reported that Neveu had been sacked at a meeting at the start of the week after the country failed to qualify for the Cup of Nations finals in the Ivory Coast next year after losing their last Group I clash in Mauritania at the weekend. Gabon had to win the game but ended up losing 2-1, hampered by having goalkeeper Jean Noel Amonome, formerly of AmaZulu, sent off in only the fifth minute.

But on Wednesday, the president of the Gabonese Football Federation (Fegafoot) said this was erroneous

“We communicate through official channels and not on social media. When we want to communicate, especially in cases concerning the dismissal of a national coach, we do so in the proper form and publicly.

“We haven't yet spoken about the future of the coach. We will do it in the coming days and we will make public the decision we have taken,” said Pierre-Alain Mounguengui.

Local fans have been calling for Neveu to be sacked after the disappointment of missing out on the Cup of Nations but Mounguengui said his federation would take their time.

“We cannot make decisions in haste. Patrice Neveu has a contract that runs until 2025 with Gabon. So we will have to look at all these parameters before making the decision. These are all questions that we will have to look at before deciding,” he added

Appointed coach in May 2019, Neveu has a mixed record of 12 victories, six draws and 10 defeats in 28 matches.

The 69-year-old Neveu has also been national team coach in Niger, Guinea, DR Congo, Mauritania, Haiti and Laos. He has also coached clubs in Egypt and Guinea.