Equatorial Guinea Pair Issued Four-Match Suspension for Referee Abuse at Afcon.
Carlos Akapo will be absent for his nation's last tournament fixture at Afcon 2025.
The National Thunder skipper Carlos Akapo and fellow squad member Josete Miranda have each been banned for four matches for abusing the match official following their 1-0 defeat by Sudan at the 2025 Afcon.
The decision was handed down by a governing body committee after it reviewed the referee's report from the tournament encounter on Sunday, a loss that confirmed the team's elimination from the tournament.
The referee stated that the two footballers "repeatedly directed abusive and obscene remarks" towards him and his linesmen after the final whistle.
"Such comments were made in a atmosphere of extreme anger related to the defeat, but nonetheless represent a serious breach of the principles of sportsmanship and fair play as well as the governing rules," noted the referee.
Two matches of the respective bans for the two players have been deferred for a term of one year.
Tournament Consequences
Both players will now miss their nation's final tournament fixture against their next opponents on midweek.
In a related development, the nation's football federation has been penalized a sum of ten thousand dollars after its coaching team and players engaged in "persistent and abusive protests" against decisions by the refereeing team.
The official documentation detailed there was "a steady deterioration in conduct on the touchline" after an unfortunate deflection by Equatorial Guinea defender Saul Coco in the second half.
Additional Governing Body Measures
In another incident, the tournament organizers have additionally fined Stallions skipper Bertrand Traore the amount of ten thousand dollars for "offensive remarks" uttered in a post-match media appearance after his team's 1-0 loss to their Group E rivals.
