🔗 Share this article Equatorial Guinea Duo Issued Four-Match Suspension for Official Abuse at Africa Cup of Nations. The team captain will be absent for his nation's final tournament fixture at Afcon 2025. Equatorial Guinea captain Carlos Akapo and fellow squad member Josete Miranda have each been suspended for four games for abusing the referee after their 1-0 defeat by Sudan at the 2025 Afcon. The ruling was made by a disciplinary panel after it examined the official's match report from the tournament encounter on the weekend, a result that confirmed the side's elimination from the tournament. The referee stated that the two players "continually directed abusive and offensive comments" towards him and his linesmen following the final whistle. "Such comments were delivered in a atmosphere of extreme anger related to the loss, but nonetheless constitute a grave violation of the standards of respect and fair play as well as the disciplinary regulations," noted the referee. A portion of the individual bans for Akapo and Miranda have been suspended for a period of one calendar year. Tournament Consequences The duo will be unavailable for their nation's last tournament fixture against their next opponents on midweek. In a related development, the nation's football federation has been penalized a amount of $10,000 after its coaching team and squad members engaged in "persistent and abusive complaints" against calls by the refereeing team. The official documentation detailed there was "a steady deterioration in behaviour on the sidelines" following an unfortunate deflection by Equatorial Guinea defender Saul Coco in the 74th minute. Further Disciplinary Action Elsewhere, the tournament organizers have also fined Stallions skipper Bertrand Traore the sum of ten thousand dollars for "offensive remarks" made in a post-game interview following his team's 1-0 loss to their Group E rivals.
The team captain will be absent for his nation's final tournament fixture at Afcon 2025. Equatorial Guinea captain Carlos Akapo and fellow squad member Josete Miranda have each been suspended for four games for abusing the referee after their 1-0 defeat by Sudan at the 2025 Afcon. The ruling was made by a disciplinary panel after it examined the official's match report from the tournament encounter on the weekend, a result that confirmed the side's elimination from the tournament. The referee stated that the two players "continually directed abusive and offensive comments" towards him and his linesmen following the final whistle. "Such comments were delivered in a atmosphere of extreme anger related to the loss, but nonetheless constitute a grave violation of the standards of respect and fair play as well as the disciplinary regulations," noted the referee. A portion of the individual bans for Akapo and Miranda have been suspended for a period of one calendar year. Tournament Consequences The duo will be unavailable for their nation's last tournament fixture against their next opponents on midweek. In a related development, the nation's football federation has been penalized a amount of $10,000 after its coaching team and squad members engaged in "persistent and abusive complaints" against calls by the refereeing team. The official documentation detailed there was "a steady deterioration in behaviour on the sidelines" following an unfortunate deflection by Equatorial Guinea defender Saul Coco in the 74th minute. Further Disciplinary Action Elsewhere, the tournament organizers have also fined Stallions skipper Bertrand Traore the sum of ten thousand dollars for "offensive remarks" made in a post-game interview following his team's 1-0 loss to their Group E rivals.