National Thunder Duo Issued Four-Match Ban for Referee Verbal Assault at Africa Cup of Nations.

Equatorial Guinea captain Carlos Akapo and fellow squad member Josete Miranda have both been suspended for four matches for verbally attacking the match official after their narrow loss by Sudan at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

The ruling was handed down by a governing body committee after it examined the official's match report from the Group E encounter on the weekend, a loss that confirmed the side's exit from the competition.

The referee reported that the two footballers "repeatedly uttered abusive and offensive remarks" towards him and his assistants after the full-time whistle.

"These remarks were made in a atmosphere of intense anger stemming from the loss, but nevertheless constitute a grave violation of the standards of respect and conduct as well as the governing rules," noted the referee.

Two matches of the respective suspensions for the two players have been suspended for a term of one calendar year.

Immediate Impact

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

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 aggressive complaints" against calls by the refereeing team.

The match report detailed there was "a steady deterioration in conduct on the sidelines" after an unfortunate deflection by defender Saul Coco in the second half.

Further Governing Body Measures

Elsewhere, the tournament organizers have additionally fined Stallions skipper Bertrand Traore the amount of ten thousand dollars for "inflammatory comments" made in a post-game media appearance after his side's 1-0 loss to their Group E rivals.