CAF has officially punished an Africa Cup of Nations captain for the way he harassed a referee at the continental showpiece.
Check Out: Sacked Egypt Manager Breaks Silence After AFCON Failure
The latest edition of Africa's biggest tournament captivated the world with the football and drama that transpired.
One of the competition's most captivating matches was Ivory Coast's quarter-final showdown against neighbouring Mali.
The Elephants, who played much of the match with 10 men, went 1-0 down in the 71st minute, but were able to equalise through Simon Adingra at the end of regulation time, before Oumar Diakite scored a dramatic late winner in the 122nd minute during extra-time to ensure the host nation's progression to the final four.
Shortly after the winger gave Ivory Coast the lead, the Malians earned themselves a corner, but referee Mohamed Adel decided there was not enough time for it to be taken and blew the final whistle.
This angered members of the Eagles squad as they all aggressively approached the match official, vehemently opposing his decision, with their captain Hamari Traore leading the protests.
Footage from the ensuing melee shows Adel pushing Traore in what he described as "self-defence", as per Pulse Sports Kenya. This further escalated the situation as members of the Mali technical squad needed to intervene in order to calm their players down.
CAF has, however, not taken Traore's actions lightly as they have punished the Real Sociedad man and his federation for what transpired, releasing a statement saying: "The Federation Malienne de Football was charged with misconduct following unsporting behavior of its players towards the match official.
"The Disciplinary Board found the player Hamari Traore guilty of unsporting conduct towards the match official. Traore was suspended for four (4) matches two (2) of which are suspended for a period of one year. The Federation Malienne de Football was also fined $10 000 (about R189 000).
Check Out: My Amazing Trip To The AFCON In Ivory Coast – Part 2
“The Federation Ivoirienne de Football was also charged with team’s misconduct. They were fined $5 000 (R94 379)."
You must be SIGNED IN to read and post comments.
WATCH VIDEO:
