Aubameyang Blames 'Cursed Orange Juice' for Gabon's World Cup Qualification Failure
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has blamed "cursed orange juice" for Gabon's failure to reach the World Cup.
The Borussia Dortmund forward and his teammates fell to a 3-0 defeat against Morocco, and missed out on a place in Russia next summer as a result.
But Aubameyang suggested that the result was beyond Gabon's control due to a bout of sickness that hindered "half of the team".
"Half of the team and the staff unbelievable stomach ache on the day of the match [sic]," he tweeted. "What cursed orange juice."
Aubameyang's compatriot, Denis Bouanga, who plays his club football at Lorient, responded to the Tweet and backed up the accusations.
But Morocco's Mehdi Benatia replied to Aubameyang with a video, in which he dismissed any suggestion that the juice had been tampered with.
Despite the disappointment with his national team, the 28-year-old has been in prolific form for Dortmund so far this season.
Aubameyang has scored eight goals in seven Bundesliga appearances, with BVB sitting five points clear at the top.
Inevitably, his form has led to rumours of interest from clubs elsewhere in Europe, although he recently suggested that a move to the Premier League is unlikely.
"The Premier League has never attracted me," he said. "It's just my personal opinion."
And he added: "I'm very happy to have stayed at Dortmund, because I realised they are my family. Things are going well, we've started well."
