Equatorial Guinea Pair Handed Multi-Game Ban for Referee Abuse at Africa Cup of Nations.

The National Thunder captain Carlos Akapo and fellow squad member Josete Miranda have both been banned for four matches for abusing the referee following their 1-0 defeat by their opponents at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

The decision was made by a governing body committee after it reviewed the official's match report from the Group E encounter on Sunday, a loss that sealed the side's elimination from the competition.

The referee stated that the two footballers "repeatedly uttered insulting and obscene comments" towards him and his assistants after the final whistle.

"Such comments were made in a context of intense anger stemming from the defeat, but nonetheless constitute a serious breach of the standards of sportsmanship and fair play as well as the governing rules," noted the official.

A portion of the individual bans for Akapo and Miranda have been suspended for a period of one year.

Tournament Impact

Both players will be unavailable for their nation's final tournament fixture against Algeria on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the country's football federation has been penalized a amount of $10,000 after its coaching team and squad members engaged in "excessive and abusive complaints" against decisions by the refereeing team.

The match report indicated there was "a steady deterioration in behaviour on the sidelines" after an unfortunate deflection by defender Saul Coco in the 74th minute.

Further Governing Body Action

Elsewhere, the continental body have additionally fined Stallions skipper Bertrand Traore the sum of $10,000 for "inflammatory remarks" uttered in a post-match interview after his team's 1-0 loss to Angola.