Ghana forward Benjamin Tetteh has been hit with a three-match ban for his actions in the team’s 1-1 draw against Gabon where he punched Aaron Boupendza in a fracas that ensued after the centre referee blew the full-time whistle.Irked by Gabon’s late equalizer that came only two minutes before the game ended, the Black Stars player took out all his frustrations on Boupendza who was among the group of players on the pitch.Ghanaians with show of shame.Ghana’s Benjamin Tetteh sees red after throwing a punch after the final whistle#ghana #AFCON2021 #GABGHA pic.twitter.com/m1YPLnZuO0— Sportlight.ng (@SportlightNaija) January 14, 2022 Following the incident, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Saturday handed the 24-year-old, who had only been on the field for the last three minutes as a substitute, an extra one-match suspension for violent conduct on top of the automatic two-match ban that came with being shown the straight red card.“On 13 January 2022, Gabon played Ghana at Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde, Cameroon. The match officials indicated in their report that at the final whistle, Ghana player Benjamin Tetteh allegedly assaulted a Gabonese player,”“CAF Disciplinary Board decided to suspend player Ghana player Benjamin Tetteh for one additional game match in addition to his automatic suspension of two matches. Consequently, the player has been suspended for three matches,” the statement from CAF read.CAF Disciplinary Board Media Statement https://t.co/ako6OjjUNx— CAF Media (@CAF_Media) January 15, 2022 The decision to suspend Tetteh comes at a time when Ghana are staring at the possibility of missing out on the automatic 1,2 qualification places as they are currently third in Group C having only managed one point in two games.The team needs to win their last group clash against Comoros and hope other results go their way if they are to at least make it as one of the best third-placed teams who have four slots up for grabs.
In other disciplinary cases, Mali’s request to cancel the red card shown to Bilal Toure was turned down meaning the forward will miss two matches.Gabon were also charged with violating the CAF Regulations and Directives within the framework of the Africa Cup of Nations.On 06 January 2022, the Panthers allegedly went against CAF instructions and changed their hotel without permission from CAF. This is after CAF’s Safety and Security department had refused their request to change hotel.The CAF Disciplinary Board found Gabon guilty and imposed a fine of USD 20 000 (slightly over Ksh 2.2 Million) for non-compliance with CAF’s directives.