National Thunder Duo Handed Multi-Game Ban for Referee Abuse at Afcon.

Equatorial Guinea skipper Carlos Akapo and fellow squad member Josete Miranda have both been suspended for four matches for verbally attacking the referee following their narrow loss by their opponents at the 2025 Afcon.

The ruling was made by a disciplinary panel after it examined the referee's report from the tournament clash on Sunday, a result that sealed the team's exit from the tournament.

The official stated that the two players "continually directed insulting and obscene comments" towards him and his assistants after the final whistle.

"These remarks were delivered in a context of intense anger related to the defeat, but nevertheless constitute a serious breach of the principles of sportsmanship and fair play as well as the disciplinary regulations," added the official.

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

Tournament Consequences

The duo will now miss their team's final tournament fixture against Algeria on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the country's governing body has been fined a amount of $10,000 after its technical staff and players engaged in "persistent and abusive protests" against decisions by the officials.

The official documentation indicated there was "a steady deterioration in behaviour on the touchline" following an unfortunate deflection by defender Saul Coco in the second half.

Further Disciplinary Action

In another incident, the tournament organizers have additionally fined Burkina Faso captain Bertrand Traore the sum of ten thousand dollars for "inflammatory comments" made in a post-match media appearance following his team's 1-0 loss to their Group E rivals.