Equatorial Guinea Duo Handed Four-Match Suspension for Official Verbal Assault at Afcon.

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

The ruling was made by a governing body committee after it reviewed the referee's report from the Group E clash on the weekend, a loss that confirmed the team's elimination from the competition.

The official reported that the two footballers "repeatedly uttered abusive and offensive comments" towards him and his assistants following the full-time whistle.

"These remarks were delivered in a atmosphere of extreme anger related to the defeat, but nonetheless represent a serious breach of the principles of respect and fair play as well as the disciplinary regulations," noted the referee.

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

Tournament Impact

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

Meanwhile, the country's governing body has been penalized a sum of $10,000 after its coaching team and squad members engaged in "excessive and aggressive protests" against decisions by the refereeing team.

The official documentation detailed there was "a steady decline in conduct on the sidelines" following an unfortunate deflection by Equatorial Guinea defender Saul Coco in the 74th minute.

Additional Disciplinary Measures

In another incident, the continental body have additionally fined Burkina Faso captain Bertrand Traore the sum of $10,000 for "inflammatory comments" made in a post-game media appearance following his side's 1-0 loss to their Group E rivals.