Arsenal star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang may never play for his country again according to Gabon manager Patrice Neveu.
The Gunners striker was embroiled in a bit of controversy during the most recent international break as he and his teammates weren’t allowed to enter The Gambia due to an administrative airport, meaning they had to spend the night sleeping on the airport floor.
Understandably, Arsenal were far from happy with how their player was treated, and they were quick to contact him.
The Gunners have apparently told him he’s not allowed to join up with Gabon again, effectively forcing him into international retirement.
“Arsenal called Pierre-Emerick. After seeing him in those conditions, it’s over…” The Gabon manager told Canal+ (via Sports Mole). “They won’t let him come again, and it will be the same for players from other clubs.
“It’s understandable. They are high level players and when they come on international duty, they need to have a minimum of comfort.
“All the players tried to sleep on the airport floor. Imagine if Aubameyang, a player who costs more than €1m a month, gets injured. [Arsenal] can be annoyed after what’s happened, to make a player sleep the floor.”
This is a massive blow for the Gabon national team.
The Arsenal forward is probably their greatest player of all time, and his premature retirement from the international game will be a huge hinderance.
All in all, this has been a bit of a stressful week for the 31-year-old, with this news following his social media spat with Toni Kroos.
Whether or not Arsenal’s decision is final remains to be seen, and we can imagine that Aubameyang may want to reverse that decision at some point.
Aubameyang seems very proud to play for his country, appearing 52 times for the African outfit, and the fact that a player of his quality has never played at a World Cup is a massive shame.
Right now, it seems as though Arsenal have forbidden him from going on international duty again, but we wouldn’t be too surprised if that decision is overturned at some point.
Either way, this international break has been a bit of a nightmare for the star striker.
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