Equatorial Guinea Pair Issued Multi-Game Suspension for Referee Abuse at Afcon.

Equatorial Guinea captain Carlos Akapo and teammate Josete Miranda have both been suspended for four matches for abusing the match official following their narrow loss by Sudan at the 2025 Afcon.

The decision was made by a governing body committee after it examined the referee's report from the Group E encounter on Sunday, a result that sealed the team's exit from the tournament.

The referee stated that the two footballers "continually uttered abusive and offensive remarks" towards him and his assistants after the full-time whistle.

"Such comments were delivered in a atmosphere of extreme frustration related to the defeat, but nonetheless represent a serious violation of the principles of sportsmanship and conduct as well as the disciplinary regulations," noted the official.

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

Tournament Impact

Both players will be unavailable for their team's last tournament fixture against their next opponents on midweek.

In a related development, the country's football federation has been penalized a amount of $10,000 after its technical staff and players engaged in "excessive and abusive protests" against calls by the refereeing team.

The match report indicated there was "a progressive decline in conduct on the sidelines" after an own goal by Equatorial Guinea defender Saul Coco in the second half.

Additional Disciplinary Action

In another incident, the continental body have additionally fined Burkina Faso captain Bertrand Traore the sum of ten thousand dollars for "offensive remarks" made in a post-match interview after his side's defeat to their Group E rivals.