Equatorial Guinea vice president calls for national team overhaul after AFCON 2025 disaster

Equatorial Guinea vice president Nguema Obiang Mangue called for a change in the national team after a diabolical 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) campaign in which the team finished bottom of their group. The vice president asked some veteran players to make way for a new generation of players.

National team head coach Juan Micha included a mix of experienced and young players during AFCON 2025, but the nation’s vice president, Mangue, said the veteran players had contributed enough and need to retire from the national team. According to AhoraEG, the government official stressed the need to revitalize the Nzalang Nacional for the future.

 

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Federation officials met with the vice president in Malabo and were asked to come up with a plan to positively transform the national team for the future. The government supported the national team financially during AFCON 2025.

Some experienced players on the national team are expected to retire. Team captain Emilio Nsue is 36, while defender Carlos Akapo will turn 33 next month. Winger Iban Salvador is 30 whilst midfielders Omar Mascarell (33), Pablo Ganet (31) and Pedro Obiang (33) are also in the twilight of their careers.

In recent times, the country’s domestic football scene has failed to produce talent as the national team has relied mostly on the experience of its veterans as well as dual national players. The Nzalang lost all three games during their latest campaign in Morocco.