Equatorial Guinea Pair Handed Multi-Game Ban for Referee Verbal Assault at Africa Cup of Nations.

The National Thunder captain Carlos Akapo and teammate Josete Miranda have both been banned for four games for verbally attacking the match official after their 1-0 defeat by their opponents at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

The ruling was made by a governing body committee after it reviewed the referee's report from the Group E encounter on the weekend, a loss that sealed the side's exit from the tournament.

The referee reported that the two players "repeatedly directed insulting and offensive comments" towards him and his assistants after the final whistle.

"Such comments were delivered in a context of intense anger related to the defeat, but nevertheless represent a serious breach of the standards of sportsmanship and conduct as well as the governing rules," noted the referee.

A portion of the individual bans for the two players have been suspended for a term of one year.

Immediate Impact

The duo will be unavailable for their team's final tournament fixture against Algeria on midweek.

Meanwhile, the country's football federation has been penalized a sum of $10,000 after its technical staff and players engaged in "persistent and aggressive complaints" against calls by the refereeing team.

The official documentation detailed there was "a steady deterioration in behaviour on the sidelines" after an unfortunate deflection by defender Saul Coco in the second half.

Additional Governing Body Action

In another incident, the tournament organizers have also penalized Burkina Faso captain Bertrand Traore the sum of ten thousand dollars for "inflammatory remarks" made in a post-match media appearance following his side's defeat to Angola.