🔗 Share this article Equatorial Guinea Duo Handed Multi-Game Suspension for Official Abuse at Africa Cup of Nations. The team captain will miss his side's final group fixture at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. Equatorial Guinea skipper Carlos Akapo and teammate Josete Miranda have each been banned for four matches for verbally attacking the referee following 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 examined the referee's report from the Group E clash on the weekend, a loss that sealed the side's elimination from the competition. The referee reported that the two players "repeatedly uttered abusive and obscene comments" towards him and his assistants after the final whistle. "Such comments were made in a atmosphere of intense frustration stemming from the defeat, but nevertheless represent a grave violation of the principles of respect and fair play as well as the governing rules," added the official. A portion of the individual suspensions for Akapo and Miranda have been suspended for a period of one calendar year. Tournament Impact The duo will now miss their nation's final group match against Algeria on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the nation's football federation has been fined a amount of $10,000 after its coaching team and squad members engaged in "persistent and abusive complaints" against calls by the officials. The official documentation detailed there was "a progressive deterioration in behaviour on the sidelines" after an unfortunate deflection by defender Saul Coco in the second half. Further Governing Body Measures Elsewhere, the tournament organizers have additionally penalized Stallions skipper Bertrand Traore the amount of $10,000 for "offensive remarks" uttered in a post-game interview after his side's 1-0 loss to Angola.
The team captain will miss his side's final group fixture at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. Equatorial Guinea skipper Carlos Akapo and teammate Josete Miranda have each been banned for four matches for verbally attacking the referee following 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 examined the referee's report from the Group E clash on the weekend, a loss that sealed the side's elimination from the competition. The referee reported that the two players "repeatedly uttered abusive and obscene comments" towards him and his assistants after the final whistle. "Such comments were made in a atmosphere of intense frustration stemming from the defeat, but nevertheless represent a grave violation of the principles of respect and fair play as well as the governing rules," added the official. A portion of the individual suspensions for Akapo and Miranda have been suspended for a period of one calendar year. Tournament Impact The duo will now miss their nation's final group match against Algeria on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the nation's football federation has been fined a amount of $10,000 after its coaching team and squad members engaged in "persistent and abusive complaints" against calls by the officials. The official documentation detailed there was "a progressive deterioration in behaviour on the sidelines" after an unfortunate deflection by defender Saul Coco in the second half. Further Governing Body Measures Elsewhere, the tournament organizers have additionally penalized Stallions skipper Bertrand Traore the amount of $10,000 for "offensive remarks" uttered in a post-game interview after his side's 1-0 loss to Angola.