Equatorial Guinea Duo Issued Four-Match Suspension for Referee Abuse at Africa Cup of Nations.
The team captain will be absent for his side's final group fixture at Afcon 2025.
Equatorial Guinea skipper Carlos Akapo and fellow squad member Josete Miranda have each been banned for four matches for verbally attacking the match official following their narrow loss by Sudan at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
The ruling was made by a disciplinary panel after it examined the official's match report from the Group E encounter on Sunday, a loss that confirmed the team's elimination from the tournament.
The official reported that the two footballers "repeatedly uttered insulting and offensive remarks" towards him and his assistants after the final whistle.
"These remarks were made in a atmosphere of intense anger related to the defeat, but nevertheless represent a grave breach of the standards of respect and fair play as well as the governing rules," added the official.
Two matches of the individual suspensions for Akapo and Miranda have been deferred for a term of one year.
Tournament Consequences
Both players will now miss their nation's final tournament fixture against their next opponents on midweek.
In a related development, the country's governing body has been penalized a amount of ten thousand dollars after its technical staff and squad members engaged in "excessive and aggressive complaints" against decisions by the officials.
The match report detailed there was "a progressive decline in conduct on the touchline" after an unfortunate deflection by defender Saul Coco in the second half.
Further Governing Body Measures
In another incident, the tournament organizers have additionally fined Burkina Faso captain Bertrand Traore the amount of ten thousand dollars for "inflammatory comments" made in a post-match media appearance following his side's 1-0 loss to their Group E rivals.
