IN an unprecedented move that has sent shockwaves through African football, the government of Gabon has effectively seized control of the national team, assuming the roles of selector, coach and manager in a dramatic intervention that now threatens the nation with a FIFA ban. Acting Sports Minister Simplice-Desire Mamboula announced on live television that the government has taken the drastic step of disbanding the entire national team following their catastrophic Total Energies Africa Cup of Nations campaign in Morocco, which ended with three consecutive defeats. In a sweeping purge, the government has banned both current and former captains Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang…