National Thunder Pair Handed Multi-Game Suspension for Referee Abuse at Afcon.

The National Thunder captain Carlos Akapo and fellow squad member Josete Miranda have each been banned for four matches for verbally attacking the match official after their narrow loss by Sudan at the 2025 Afcon.

The ruling was made by a governing body committee after it reviewed the referee's report from the Group E encounter on Sunday, a loss that confirmed the team's exit from the competition.

The referee stated that the two footballers "repeatedly directed abusive and obscene comments" towards him and his linesmen following the final whistle.

"Such comments were made in a context of extreme frustration related to the loss, but nonetheless represent a serious breach of the standards of respect and fair play as well as the disciplinary regulations," added the referee.

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

Tournament Impact

Both players will now miss their nation's last tournament fixture against Algeria on Wednesday.

In a related development, the country's football federation has been penalized a sum of ten thousand dollars after its technical staff and players engaged in "excessive and aggressive protests" against calls by the refereeing team.

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

Additional Disciplinary Action

In another incident, the tournament organizers have also penalized Burkina Faso captain Bertrand Traore the amount of $10,000 for "inflammatory remarks" made in a post-game media appearance following his team's 1-0 loss to their Group E rivals.