Equatorial Guinea Pair Issued Multi-Game Suspension for Referee Abuse at Africa Cup of Nations.
The team captain will miss his nation's final tournament fixture at Afcon 2025.
Equatorial Guinea skipper Carlos Akapo and fellow squad member Josete Miranda have each been banned for four games for abusing the match official after their 1-0 defeat by their opponents at the 2025 Afcon.
The decision was handed down by a governing body committee after it reviewed the referee's report from the Group E encounter on the weekend, a result that sealed the team's elimination from the competition.
The referee stated that the two footballers "continually directed insulting and offensive comments" towards him and his linesmen after the full-time whistle.
"Such comments were made in a context of extreme anger related to the defeat, but nevertheless constitute a grave violation of the principles of sportsmanship and conduct as well as the governing rules," added the official.
A portion of the individual bans for Akapo and Miranda have been deferred for a term of one calendar year.
Tournament Consequences
The duo 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 "persistent and abusive protests" against decisions by the officials.
The match report indicated there was "a progressive deterioration in behaviour on the touchline" following an own goal by 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 $10,000 for "inflammatory remarks" uttered in a post-game interview following his side's defeat to Angola.
