National Thunder Pair Issued Multi-Game Ban for Referee Verbal Assault at Afcon.

Equatorial Guinea captain Carlos Akapo and teammate Josete Miranda have each been banned for four games for abusing the match official after their narrow loss by Sudan at the 2025 Afcon.

The decision was made by a governing body committee after it reviewed the official's match report from the tournament encounter on the weekend, a result that confirmed the team's exit from the tournament.

The official reported that the two footballers "repeatedly uttered insulting and offensive comments" towards him and his linesmen following the final whistle.

"Such comments were made in a context of extreme anger related to the loss, but nevertheless constitute a serious violation of the principles of sportsmanship and conduct as well as the governing rules," added the referee.

A portion of the respective suspensions for Akapo and Miranda have been deferred for a term of one year.

Immediate Consequences

The duo will be unavailable for their team's final group match against Algeria on Wednesday.

In a related development, the country's governing body has been penalized a amount of $10,000 after its coaching team and players engaged in "excessive and abusive complaints" against calls by the refereeing team.

The official documentation indicated there was "a progressive decline in conduct on the sidelines" after an unfortunate deflection by defender Saul Coco in the second half.

Further Governing Body Action

In another incident, the tournament organizers have additionally penalized Burkina Faso captain Bertrand Traore the amount of ten thousand dollars for "inflammatory comments" uttered in a post-match interview following his side's 1-0 loss to their Group E rivals.