National Thunder hit by chaos: coach sacked, players threatened they will never be called up again!

In Africa, football isn't just a game. It's drama, politics, pride, ego… all packed into 90 combustible minutes. And when it explodes, it blows apart at the seams.

That's exactly what has happened to Equatorial Guinea, a team that only a year ago danced proudly on the lawns of Abidjan, lighting up the Africa Cup of Nations - even thrashing hosts Ivory Coast 4-0, but now can't even make it to the airport.

The national team has suffered a complete meltdown after failing to show up for their World Cup qualifier against Malawi. Instead of a fight for points, came chaos: the coach dismissed, key players suspended, and FIFA sanctions looming!

Coach Juan Micha, who had led the team with pride at the last AFCON, was shown the door after several players refused to travel to Lilongwe, where the penultimate qualifier was to be played.

"Until further notice, all those who refused the call-up, who turned their backs on their country, will not wear the national shirt again," declared the Equatorial Guinean Football Federation in a fiery statement.

The Federation wasted no time publishing a new squad for the final qualifier against Liberia on Monday. Interim coach Casto Nopo will take charge, fielding mostly home-based players and a few youngsters from minor European clubs.

The mood in Malabo is split down the middle: part of the media accuses the Federation of authoritarianism, while others defend the decision, claiming that "the nation must stand above the individual."

The irony couldn’t be sharper. Less than a year ago, this very team stunned the continent with a 4-0 demolition of Ivory Coast, a heroic draw with Nigeria - now teetering on the edge of total disintegration.

At AFCON 2024, they topped a group ahead of two African giants before crashing out in the Round of 16 to Guinea after a last-minute heartbreak. They have since qualified for the upcoming AFCON (kicking off December 21), but their World Cup dream for 2026 is dead and buried.

Now, the nightmare deepens: FIFA could still hand down heavy fines or even deduct future qualifying points for their no-show in Malawi.

But this collapse runs deeper than football. It exposes the cracks of a nation where the sport often serves as an escape valve for social and political tension.

Equatorial Guinea, once proud hosts of the 2015 AFCON, are again walking that fine line between big ambitions and hard reality - a line that, this time, leads straight to scandal.

WC QUALIFICATION AFRICA - MATCHDAY 10

Friday

South Sudan - Senegal 0-5 (0-1)

/Sarr 29, 54, Mane 46, Jackson 60 pen, Ndiaye C. 75/

Gambia - Gabon 3-4 (2-2)

/Minteh 23, Sidibeh 45+2, 47 - Aubameyang 20, 42, 62, 78/

Seychelles - Ivory Coast 0-7 (0-4)

/Sangare 7 pen, Agbadou 17, Diakite 32, Guessand 39, Diomande 55, Adingra 67, Kessie 90/

Sudan - Mauritania 0-0

Togo - DR Congo 0-1 (0-1)

/Bakambu 7/

Lesotho - Nigeria 1-2 (0-0)

/Kalake 83 - Troost-Ekong 55 pen, Adams 80/

Rwanda - Benin 0-1 (0-0)

/Tosin 80/

Sao Tome - Tunisia 0-6 (0-3)

/Chaouat 36, Saad 39, 43, Gharbi 47, Ben Romdhane 68 pen, 90/

Zimbabwe - South Africa 0-0

Sunday

Zambia - Niger 0-1 (0-0)

/Sosah 56/

Chad - Central African Republic 2-3 (0-2)

/Ecua 53, Mouandilmadji 87 - Mokonou 3, Baboula 31, Namnganda 90+3/

22.00: (1.22) Burkina Faso (5.80) Ethiopia (16.0)

22.00: (16.0) Djibouti (6.50) Sierra Leone (1.20)

22.00: (1.28) Egypt (5.40) Guinea B. (12.0)

22.00: (1.32) Ghana (4.80) Comoros (11.0)

22.00: (1.80) Mali (3.50) Madagascar (4.70)

Monday

16.00: (2.00) Equatorial Guinea (3.35) Liberia (4.00)

16.00: (17.0) Sao Tome (7.25) Malawi (1.17)

16.00: (5.80) South Sudan (3.50) Togo (1.67)

16.00: (1.47) Tunisia (4.00) Namibia (8.00)

19.00: (1.32) Cameroon (4.80) Angola (11.0)

19.00: (1.15) Cape Verde (7.50) Eswatini (20.0)

19.00: (4.00) Lesotho (3.35) Zimbabwe (2.00)

19.00: (7.25) Mauritius (4.00) Libya (1.50)

***odds are subject to change***