Aubameyang's father tasked to qualify Gabon for AFCON 2019

Gabon’s football federation (Fegafoot) has hired a trio of former national team skippers to rescue the country’s aspirations of qualifying for the continental football showpiece scheduled for next year in Cameroon.

A Thursday statement from Fegafoot announced that Pierre Aubame and Daniel Cousin have been named as co-coaches of Gabon after the dismissal last week of Spaniard Jose Antonio Camacho.

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

Camacho, who only managed two wins in charge over the last two years, was dismissed after the Panthers were held to a 1-1 home draw by Burundi earlier this month.

A trio of coaches

Aubame is the father of Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang while Cousin, who was a forward at Rangers and Hull City, previously acted as team manager in charge of logistics.

Aubam Eyang Snr, whose 29-year-old son Pierre-Emerick currently captains Gabon, skippered the Panthers at their Afcon debut in 1994.

Francois Amegasse, another former national team skipper, takes over Cousin’s role.

“We hope these three former captains will transmit their experience to the players,” said a statement from the federation.

Their immediate task, transform the fortunes of Gabon, who currently sit third in Group C of the qualifiers.

“The staff, as formed, have as their primary mission to qualify Gabon’s Panthers for the next Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.”

The Panthers are five and three points adrift of first and second-placed Mali and Burundi respectively. South Sudan is bottom of the group.

Gabon will face South Sudan in a double-header in October.