The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has imposed disciplinary sanctions on several players following comments and actions deemed offensive toward match officials during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, currently being held in Morocco.
CAF’s Disciplinary Committee fined Burkina Faso winger Bertrand Traoré €10,000 after he accused the referee of the Algeria vs. Burkina Faso match—won by Algeria 1–0—of ruining his team’s chances in the game.
Despite the controversy sparked by his remarks on social media, the committee refrained from imposing a sporting suspension on Traoré, opting only for a financial penalty after the player issued an apology during the disciplinary hearing. Traoré had claimed that the referees “spoiled the end of the match.”
In contrast, the sanctions were more severe for Equatorial Guinea players José Miranda and Carlos Akapo. Both were handed four-match suspensions, with two matches suspended, for insulting Congolese referee Messi Nkounkou during their team’s 1–0 defeat to Sudan on the 28th of last month.
That loss ended Equatorial Guinea’s hopes of qualifying for the knockout stage, and the team later played a formality match in the final round of the group stage, losing 3–1 to Algeria.
Protecting the Integrity of African Officiating
These disciplinary measures come as CAF seeks to safeguard the integrity of refereeing and maintain strict discipline throughout the tournament, amid intense public and media scrutiny. This is particularly significant given the introduction of modern technologies and electronic ticketing systems for the first time at the competition, placing players’ behavior firmly under the spotlight.
Bertrand Traoré is expected to be available for Burkina Faso’s Round of 16 match, having been rested on the bench in the recent game against Sudan. Meanwhile, Miranda and Akapo will remain sidelined until their suspensions are fully served.
