Equatorial Guinea Pair Handed Multi-Game Suspension for Official Abuse at Africa Cup of Nations.

The National Thunder skipper Carlos Akapo and teammate Josete Miranda have both been suspended for four matches for abusing the referee after their narrow loss by Sudan at the 2025 Afcon.

The decision was made by a disciplinary panel after it reviewed the official's match report from the tournament encounter on Sunday, a result that confirmed the team's exit from the competition.

The official stated that the two players "repeatedly uttered abusive and obscene comments" towards him and his linesmen after the final whistle.

"Such comments were delivered in a context of extreme frustration related to the loss, but nonetheless constitute a serious breach of the standards of sportsmanship and conduct as well as the disciplinary regulations," added the referee.

A portion of the individual bans for Akapo and Miranda have been suspended for a period of one calendar year.

Immediate Consequences

The duo will now miss their team's final tournament fixture against their next opponents on midweek.

In a related development, the country's football federation has been fined a amount of ten thousand dollars after its technical staff and squad members engaged in "persistent and aggressive protests" against decisions by the officials.

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

Additional Governing Body Measures

Elsewhere, the tournament organizers have additionally fined Stallions skipper Bertrand Traore the amount of ten thousand dollars for "inflammatory comments" uttered in a post-game interview after his side's 1-0 loss to Angola.