Gabon national team players refused to board their flight from their UAE camp base to Cameroon for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations due to unpaid bonuses.
The Panthers were owed bonuses accruing from their Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and the FIFA World Cup qualifications.
The players led by captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang refused to join the chartered flight given to them by the Gabonese authorities until the unpaid entitlements were settled.
Report says each player received around 15 million CFA francs (US$26,000) before boarding the flight en route to Yaoundé.
Gabon lost 3-0 to Burkina Faso and drew 1-1 with Mauritania during their stay in the Emirates.
The Panthers are drawn in Group C alongside four-time champions Ghana, Morocco and debutants Comoros.
Patrice Neveu’s team will take on Comoros on 10 January 2022 in Yaoundé in their first group match.
They will face Ghana in the second round on 14 January before tackling Morocco in the last group game four days later.
