Equatorial Guinea Pair Issued Four-Match Ban for Official Verbal Assault at Afcon.
Carlos Akapo will be absent for his nation's final tournament fixture at Afcon 2025.
The National Thunder captain Carlos Akapo and fellow squad member Josete Miranda have each been banned for four games for verbally attacking the referee after their 1-0 defeat by their opponents at the 2025 Afcon.
The decision was handed down by a disciplinary panel after it examined the official's match report from the Group E encounter on the weekend, a loss that sealed the side's elimination from the tournament.
The referee reported that the two players "continually uttered insulting and obscene remarks" towards him and his assistants following the full-time whistle.
"Such comments were delivered in a atmosphere of intense anger stemming from the loss, but nevertheless constitute a grave breach of the standards of sportsmanship and fair play as well as the governing rules," added the referee.
Two matches of the respective bans for Akapo and Miranda have been suspended for a period of one calendar year.
Immediate Impact
Both players will now miss their team's last tournament fixture against Algeria on midweek.
In a related development, the nation's governing body has been fined a sum of ten thousand dollars after its technical staff and squad members engaged in "persistent and aggressive protests" against decisions by the refereeing team.
The match report indicated there was "a steady decline in behaviour on the sidelines" following an own goal by Equatorial Guinea defender Saul Coco in the second half.
Further Disciplinary Action
Elsewhere, the tournament organizers have additionally penalized Burkina Faso captain Bertrand Traore the sum of ten thousand dollars for "inflammatory remarks" made in a post-game interview following his side's defeat to their Group E rivals.
