🔗 Share this article Equatorial Guinea Pair Handed Multi-Game Ban for Official Verbal Assault at Afcon. Carlos Akapo will be absent for his side's final tournament fixture at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. Equatorial Guinea skipper Carlos Akapo and fellow squad member Josete Miranda have each been banned for four matches for verbally attacking the match official after their 1-0 defeat by Sudan at the 2025 Afcon. The decision was handed down by a governing body committee after it reviewed the official's match report from the tournament encounter on the weekend, a result that confirmed the team's elimination from the competition. The referee stated that the two footballers "continually directed abusive and obscene comments" towards him and his assistants after the final whistle. "These remarks were made in a context of extreme frustration stemming from the loss, but nevertheless represent a grave breach of the principles of sportsmanship and fair play as well as the disciplinary regulations," added the referee. A portion of the individual suspensions for Akapo and Miranda have been deferred for a term of one year. Immediate Impact Both players will now miss their team's final group match against their next opponents on midweek. In a related development, the nation's governing body has been fined a sum of ten thousand dollars after its coaching team and squad members engaged in "excessive and abusive protests" against decisions by the refereeing team. The match report detailed there was "a steady deterioration in behaviour on the sidelines" following an own goal by defender Saul Coco in the second half. Additional Disciplinary Measures In another incident, the continental body have additionally fined Burkina Faso captain Bertrand Traore the amount of ten thousand dollars for "inflammatory comments" uttered in a post-match interview following his team's 1-0 loss to Angola.
Carlos Akapo will be absent for his side's final tournament fixture at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. Equatorial Guinea skipper Carlos Akapo and fellow squad member Josete Miranda have each been banned for four matches for verbally attacking the match official after their 1-0 defeat by Sudan at the 2025 Afcon. The decision was handed down by a governing body committee after it reviewed the official's match report from the tournament encounter on the weekend, a result that confirmed the team's elimination from the competition. The referee stated that the two footballers "continually directed abusive and obscene comments" towards him and his assistants after the final whistle. "These remarks were made in a context of extreme frustration stemming from the loss, but nevertheless represent a grave breach of the principles of sportsmanship and fair play as well as the disciplinary regulations," added the referee. A portion of the individual suspensions for Akapo and Miranda have been deferred for a term of one year. Immediate Impact Both players will now miss their team's final group match against their next opponents on midweek. In a related development, the nation's governing body has been fined a sum of ten thousand dollars after its coaching team and squad members engaged in "excessive and abusive protests" against decisions by the refereeing team. The match report detailed there was "a steady deterioration in behaviour on the sidelines" following an own goal by defender Saul Coco in the second half. Additional Disciplinary Measures In another incident, the continental body have additionally fined Burkina Faso captain Bertrand Traore the amount of ten thousand dollars for "inflammatory comments" uttered in a post-match interview following his team's 1-0 loss to Angola.