The ax has fallen. Three days after his inappropriate outing regarding refereeing at the 2025 African Cup of Nations, Bertrand Traoré was sanctioned by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). Questioned a few moments after the match lost by his team against Algeria on Sunday December 28 (1-0), the captain of Burkina Faso openly criticized the refereeing body, regretting that a penalty had not been awarded to him at the start of the match.
“I think there is also a penalty for the first Algerian foul committed against me. But the referee won’t even check,” he denounced. “As luck would have it, when it’s Algeria, they confirm the penalty,” he said in reference to the Fennecs goal scored from 11 meters by Riyad Mahrez. “It’s a shame for African football. There are beautiful stadiums, good supporters but the referees ruin the match! »
No sporting sanction
Heard by the CAF disciplinary committee since then, Traoré was ordered to pay a fine of $10,000 for “offensive remarks” this Wednesday. While he could have feared a much heavier sanction, the former Olympique Lyonnais striker was not suspended for any match. The 30-year-old Sunderland player will therefore be able to participate in the round of 16, which will see the Stallions challenge the first in Group F: Cameroon, Ivory Coast or Mozambique.
Preserved this Wednesday during the victory won by Burkina Faso against Sudan in the last group match (1-0), Traoré would have apologized to the CAF disciplinary committee after his rant. A mea culpa apparently sufficient to avoid a sporting sanction.
