Equatorial Guinea Duo Issued Multi-Game Ban for Official Verbal Assault at Africa Cup of Nations.
The team captain will be absent for his nation's final tournament fixture at Afcon 2025.
The National Thunder captain Carlos Akapo and teammate Josete Miranda have each been banned for four matches for abusing the referee after their narrow loss by their opponents at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
The ruling was handed down by a governing body committee after it examined the referee's report from the Group E encounter on the weekend, a loss that sealed the side's elimination from the tournament.
The referee reported that the two players "continually uttered insulting and offensive comments" towards him and his assistants following the final whistle.
"Such comments were delivered in a context of intense frustration related to the loss, but nevertheless constitute a grave violation of the principles of sportsmanship and conduct as well as the governing rules," added the referee.
Two matches of the individual suspensions for the two players have been suspended for a term of one calendar year.
Immediate Consequences
Both players will now miss their team's last tournament fixture against Algeria on Wednesday.
In a related development, the nation's governing body has been penalized a amount of $10,000 after its technical staff and players engaged in "excessive and aggressive protests" against decisions by the refereeing team.
The official documentation indicated there was "a steady deterioration in conduct on the sidelines" after an unfortunate deflection by defender Saul Coco in the second half.
Additional Governing Body Measures
In another incident, the continental body have additionally penalized Burkina Faso captain Bertrand Traore the sum of $10,000 for "offensive comments" made in a post-match media appearance after his team's 1-0 loss to their Group E rivals.
