The referee at the centre of the controversial penalty decision that helped hosts Equatorial Guinea to reach the  Nations Cup semi-finals has been banned for six months, CAF said in a statement on Tuesday.

Rajindraparsad Seechurn of Mauritius has also been excluded from the list of top African officials, effectively ending his international career, the Confederation of African Football added.

The Tunisian team, some of whom attempted to attack the referee after Saturday's 2-1 quarter-final loss after the extra time in Bata, were handed a US$ 50,000  fine but  no individual sanctions were announced.

Opponents Equatorial Guinea were also sanctioned for poor security at the match.

CAF's REPORT:

 

At its extraordinary meeting held at the CAF headquarters In Bata, Equatorial Guinea on the 2ndFebruary, 2015, the CAF Referees Committee reviewed the performance of the referee Seechurn Rajindrapasard (Mauritius) during Match No. 26, Tunisia vs. Equatorial Guinea played on 31 January 2015 in Bata in the final tournament of the 2015 Orange Africa Cup of Nations.

 

The Referees Committee noted with regret the poor performance of the referee during the match, including an unacceptable failure to maintain calm and ensure proper control of the players during the match.

 

Hence the Referees Committee decided:

- To end the mission of Seechurn Rajindrapasard as a referee for the Orange AFCON 2015

- To suspend him for a period of six (6) months for poor performance

- To delist him from the CAF “A” Elite Referees panel.

 

_ _ _ _ _

 

 

At its meeting at CAF Headquarters in Bata, Equatorial Guinea, on the 3rd February 2015, the Disciplinary Board considered all the incidents and reports of the various officials relating to the match no. 26 Tunisia vs. Equatorial Guinea played on 31 January 2015.

 

The incidents noted in the meeting, included a pitch invasion by fans, the aggressive attitude of some supporters in the stands, invading of the pitch after the final whistle by players and substitutes of the Tunisian team - insulting the referee of the match and trying to physically assault him - the regrettable behavior of the president of the Tunisian Football Federation (FTF), Mr. Wadie Jary, entering the field of play and strongly criticizing the referee and CAF; and vandalism by some Tunisian players which included breaking of a door in the locker room area and a fridge.

 

The disciplinary board also studied two letters sent by the Tunisian Federation dated the 2ndFebruary 2015; the first letter concerning the explanation of the FTF in connection with the above incidents, the second correspondence requesting an investigation.

 

The second letter clearly suggested that CAF and its officials were questionable and biased against Tunisia in general and that CAF, its officials and committees were devoid of sporting ethics, causing in a premeditated manner the elimination of Tunisia from the Orange AFCON 2015.

 

The following decisions were taken against the respective parties, Tunisia and Equatorial Guinea:

 

Tunisian Football Federation

Based on Articles 82, 83, 125 and 133 of the Disciplinary Code of CAF, the Disciplinary Jury of CAF:

 

- Asked the Equatorial Guinean party to estimate the cost of repairing the damage caused by the Tunisian party at the stadium in Bata and CAF will provide this amount to the Tunisian Federation to cover it.

 

- Condemned the conduct of Mr. Wadie Jary, president of the Tunisian Football Federation and member of the Organising Committee of the AFCON.

 

- Imposed on the Tunisian Federation a fine of US$ 50,000 (Fifty Thousand United States Dollars) for the insolent, aggressive and unacceptable behavior of the players and officials of the Tunisian team during the aforementioned game.

 

- Instructed the Tunisian Federation to send to CAF before February 5th at midnight, a letter of apology for the insinuations of bias and lack of ethics against CAF and its officials, or to present irrefutable evidence to substantiate the accusations of the FTF.

 

Should the Federation not send this letter of apology or required evidence before the stated deadline, the disciplinary panel would suggest to the Executive Committee of CAF additional sanctions, including the possibility not to accept the participation of the national team of Tunisia in the next edition of Cup of Nations, AFCON, 2017.

 

Equatorial Guinean Football Federation

Considering the pitch invasion by some Equatoguinean fans and the lack of security measures observed, and based on Article 151 para 2 of the CAF Disciplinary Code, the Disciplinary Jury of CAF imposed a financial penalty of US$5,000 (Five Thousand US Dollars) on FEGUIFUT, and asked them to ensure that all security arrangements are taken to ensure the smooth running of the matches of the semifinals and finals of the Orange Africa Cup of Nations in 2015