Burkina Faso Captain Fined $10K for Criticizing Ref After AFCON Loss to Algeria
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has fined Burkina Faso captain Bertrand Traoré $10,000 for his comments after the Stallions lost 1-0 to Algeria in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. Traoré criticized Ghanaian referee Daniel Laryea after the game.
The CAF disciplinary committee said that Traoré’s comments were rude and not what you would expect from a national team captain at a big tournament.
The Sunderland forward was charged after publicly questioning Laryea’s calls in the Group E match, such as a penalty given to Algeria in the first half and an earlier incident he thought needed VAR review.
“I believe I was fouled in the first play of the game.” At the time, Traoré said, “The referee didn’t even check VAR,” which added to the controversy over the Ghanaian referee’s calls.
Traoré was apologetic during the hearing and said that his anger came from how intense the match was.
He said he didn’t mean to hurt CAF or disrespect officials, so the only punishment was a fine, not a suspension or other sporting penalties.
The Burkina Faso Football Federation has agreed with the decision, which means that the $10,000 fine is the full amount.
The decision shows how serious CAF is about player behavior and lets Traoré keep competing without any more restrictions.
