Equatorial Guinea Duo Issued Four-Match Suspension for Official Verbal Assault at Afcon.
The team captain will be absent for his nation's final tournament fixture at Afcon 2025.
Equatorial Guinea skipper Carlos Akapo and teammate Josete Miranda have each been banned for four games for abusing the referee after their narrow loss by Sudan 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 tournament clash on the weekend, a loss that confirmed the team's exit from the tournament.
The official reported that the two players "continually uttered insulting and obscene remarks" towards him and his assistants following the full-time whistle.
"These remarks were delivered in a atmosphere of intense anger related to the defeat, but nevertheless constitute a grave breach 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 deferred for a period of one year.
Immediate Impact
The duo will be unavailable for their nation's last group match against their next opponents on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the country's governing body has been penalized a sum of ten thousand dollars after its coaching team and squad members engaged in "persistent and aggressive protests" against calls by the officials.
The official documentation detailed there was "a steady decline in behaviour on the touchline" following an unfortunate deflection by Equatorial Guinea defender Saul Coco in the 74th minute.
Additional Governing Body Measures
Elsewhere, the tournament organizers have additionally penalized Burkina Faso captain Bertrand Traore the sum of ten thousand dollars for "offensive remarks" made in a post-game media appearance after his side's defeat to Angola.
