National Thunder Pair Handed Four-Match Suspension for Official Abuse at Afcon.
Carlos Akapo will be absent for his nation's final tournament fixture at Afcon 2025.
The National Thunder captain Carlos Akapo and fellow squad member Josete Miranda have both been suspended for four matches for verbally attacking the referee following their 1-0 defeat by Sudan at the 2025 Afcon.
The ruling was handed down by a governing body committee after it examined the official's match report from the tournament encounter on the weekend, a result that sealed the team's elimination from the competition.
The official stated that the two footballers "repeatedly directed abusive and offensive comments" towards him and his linesmen following the full-time whistle.
"Such comments were delivered in a context of extreme anger stemming from the defeat, but nonetheless represent a grave breach of the standards of sportsmanship and fair play as well as the governing rules," added the official.
A portion of the respective suspensions for the two players have been deferred for a period of one calendar year.
Immediate Impact
The duo will be unavailable for their nation's last tournament fixture against Algeria on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the nation's governing body has been penalized a amount of ten thousand dollars after its coaching team and squad members engaged in "persistent and abusive protests" against calls by the officials.
The match report detailed there was "a progressive decline in conduct on the sidelines" after an unfortunate deflection by Equatorial Guinea defender Saul Coco in the 74th minute.
Additional Governing Body Measures
In another incident, the continental body have additionally penalized Burkina Faso captain Bertrand Traore the amount of ten thousand dollars for "inflammatory remarks" made in a post-match media appearance after his team's defeat to their Group E rivals.
