National Thunder Pair Issued Four-Match Suspension for Official Verbal Assault at Afcon.
Carlos Akapo will be absent for his side's last tournament game at Afcon 2025.
The National Thunder captain Carlos Akapo and fellow squad member Josete Miranda have both been suspended for four matches for abusing the match official following their 1-0 defeat by Sudan at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
The ruling was made by a disciplinary panel after it reviewed the referee's report from the tournament encounter on the weekend, a loss that sealed the team's elimination from the competition.
The referee reported that the two players "continually uttered abusive and offensive remarks" towards him and his linesmen following the full-time whistle.
"These remarks were made in a context of extreme frustration stemming from the defeat, but nonetheless constitute a serious violation of the standards of sportsmanship and fair play as well as the governing rules," noted the referee.
Two matches of the respective suspensions for the two players have been deferred for a period of one year.
Tournament Consequences
The duo will be unavailable for their team's last tournament fixture against Algeria on Wednesday.
In a related development, the country's governing body has been penalized a amount of ten thousand dollars after its coaching team and squad members engaged in "excessive and abusive protests" against decisions by the officials.
The official documentation indicated there was "a progressive deterioration in behaviour on the touchline" after an unfortunate deflection by Equatorial Guinea defender Saul Coco in the second half.
Additional Governing Body Measures
Elsewhere, the continental body have additionally penalized Stallions skipper Bertrand Traore the amount of $10,000 for "offensive comments" made in a post-match interview following his team's defeat to their Group E rivals.
