AFCON 2015: CAF Suspends Ref, Fines Tunisia $50,000

The Confederation of African Football has fined Tunisia’s football federation $50,000, while a referee has been sent home and suspended for six months in the fallout from the chaotic African Cup of Nations quarterfinal against hosts Equatorial Guinea.

Tunisia was also ordered to pay for damages to a door and a refrigerator in the team’s dressing room at Bata Stadium.

However, Africa’s top football body did not announce any sanctions against players despite members of the Tunisian squad chasing the referee and aiming kicks and punches at him as he fled with a riot police escort at the end of the ill-tempered match.

CAF announced its decisions after holding disciplinary meetings on Monday and Tuesday over the on-field clashes involving players, coaching staff and officials at Saturday’s game. Equatorial Guinea won 2-1 in extra time after being helped out by a hugely contentious refereeing decision in the dying seconds of normal time.

CAF said Mauritian referee Rajindraparsad Seechurn had been suspended for poor refereeing after his decision to award Equatorial Guinea a contentious late penalty sparked the trouble. It ultimately denied the Tunisians – who were leading 1-0 at the time – a place in the semi-finals.

Furious Tunisian players were guilty of insulting and trying to assault the referee after the game, CAF said, but none of the players were named or punished, according to the statement late Tuesday.

CAF also said Tunisia’s national federation president Wadie Jary went onto the field to confront and criticise Seechurn. Jary resigned from the tournament’s organising committee on Sunday.