Burkina Faso captain Bertrand Traoré has been fined $10,000 by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for publicly criticizing refereeing after his team’s 1–0 defeat to Algeria in AFCON 2025 Group B.
The Burkina Faso Football Federation (FBF) confirmed the sanction on social media, explaining that Traoré appeared before a CAF disciplinary committee, where he apologized for his comments.
“The captain of the Burkina Faso team presented his apologies and expressed regret before the committee. It was decided to sanction him with a fine of $10,000 for comments considered offensive during the post-match interview,” the FBF statement said.
Traoré had taken aim at the officials after the loss, claiming, “It’s unfortunate that we lost 1-0 because of a penalty. I believe there was a penalty in my favour in the first attack, but the referee did not use VAR.”
He added, “For Algeria’s penalty, the referee stayed on the field and confirmed the decision. This is unfortunate for African football and for the Africa Cup of Nations; the referees are ruining the match. In the end, the referee pushed me, and this is disappointing. The competition should not be spoiled in this way.”
The FBF emphasized that the fine does not diminish Traoré’s professionalism or leadership.
“This incident in no way affects Bertrand Traoré’s engagement, professionalism, and determination to perform at his best on the field and to help his teammates achieve better results.”
Traoré remains available for Burkina Faso’s upcoming AFCON knockout matches, as CAF did not impose a match suspension—only the financial penalty.
