National Thunder Duo Handed Multi-Game Ban for Official Abuse 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 1-0 defeat by their opponents at the 2025 Afcon.

The ruling was handed down by a disciplinary panel after it examined the referee's report from the tournament encounter on Sunday, a loss that sealed the side's exit from the competition.

The referee reported that the two players "repeatedly uttered abusive and obscene remarks" towards him and his linesmen after the final whistle.

"Such comments were made in a context of intense anger stemming from the loss, but nevertheless represent a grave breach of the principles of respect and conduct as well as the governing rules," added the official.

A portion of the individual bans for the two players have been suspended for a term of one year.

Tournament Consequences

Both players will be unavailable for their team's last group match against their next opponents on midweek.

Meanwhile, the country's governing body has been fined a sum of ten thousand dollars after its coaching team and players engaged in "excessive and abusive complaints" against decisions by the refereeing team.

The official documentation detailed there was "a progressive deterioration in conduct on the sidelines" after an unfortunate deflection by defender Saul Coco in the 74th minute.

Additional Disciplinary Measures

In another incident, the tournament organizers have additionally penalized Stallions skipper Bertrand Traore the sum of ten thousand dollars for "offensive remarks" uttered in a post-game media appearance after his side's defeat to Angola.