Equatorial Guinea Duo Issued Multi-Game Suspension for Official Verbal Assault at Afcon.

The National Thunder skipper Carlos Akapo and teammate Josete Miranda have both been banned for four games for verbally attacking the match official after their 1-0 defeat by their opponents at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

The decision was made by a disciplinary panel after it examined the official's match report from the tournament clash on the weekend, a loss that confirmed the team's elimination from the tournament.

The official stated that the two footballers "repeatedly directed abusive and obscene comments" towards him and his linesmen after the full-time whistle.

"Such comments were delivered in a context of intense frustration related to the defeat, but nonetheless constitute 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 suspended for a term of one calendar year.

Immediate Impact

The duo will be unavailable for their nation's last group match against their next opponents 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 complaints" against calls by the refereeing team.

The match report detailed there was "a progressive decline in conduct on the touchline" after an unfortunate deflection by Equatorial Guinea defender Saul Coco in the second half.

Further Governing Body Action

Elsewhere, the tournament organizers have additionally fined Burkina Faso captain Bertrand Traore the amount of $10,000 for "inflammatory remarks" made in a post-game interview following his side's 1-0 loss to Angola.