Equatorial Guinea captain Carlos Akapo and team-mate Josete Miranda have been banned for four matches after verbally abusing the referee following their 1-0 loss to Sudan at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
The Confederation of African Football (Caf) handed down the punishment after reviewing the referee’s report, which said both players repeatedly made insulting and offensive comments towards the match officials after full-time. Caf described their actions as a serious breach of respect and fair play.
Half of each player’s ban has been suspended for a year, but both Akapo and Miranda will miss Equatorial Guinea’s final group match against Algeria on Wednesday.
Equatorial Guinea’s football federation has also been fined $10,000 after players and staff made strong protests against the officials. Caf said behaviour on the sidelines worsened after an own goal late in the match.
In a separate case, Burkina Faso captain Bertrand Traore was fined $10,000 for offensive comments made in a post-match interview following his team’s defeat by Angola.
