…Leverkusen, Victor Boniface accept verdict
The German Football Association have fined Bayer Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface €25,000 and banned him for one DFB Pokal game for unsporting conduct after he appeared to show his middle finger towards VfB Stuttgart players while celebrating Bayer Leverkusen’s penalty shootout win in the DFL-Supercup final on Sunday.
The sports court of the German Football Association (DFB) on Wednesday fined the 23-year-old €25,000 and issued a one-match ban for showing VfB Stuttgart players his outstretched left middle finger as he ran past them.
The DFB Control Committee investigated and filed charges retrospectively after referee Tobias Stieler failed to see the incident during Leverkusen’s 4-3 penalty shootout victory. Leverkusen accepted the verdict, which is now final.
The statement read, “The DFB sports court has banned Victor Boniface from German champions Bayer 04 Leverkusen from one DFB Cup match in a single judge procedure after charges were brought by the DFB control committee for blatantly anti-sporting conduct in the form of unsportsmanlike conduct. He must also pay a fine of 25,000 euros.
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“The Nigerian international showed the players of runners-up VfB Stuttgart his left middle finger as he ran past them immediately after the final whistle of the DFL Supercup match last Saturday in Leverkusen. When asked, referee Tobias Stieler stated that he had not seen this scene, which is why the control committee was able to investigate and bring charges retrospectively.
“The player or his club has agreed to the ruling, which means the ruling is legally binding.”
Despite the ban, Boniface will be available for Xabi Alonso’s side in their opener on Friday against Borussia Monchengladbach while his ban will kick in in their DFB Pokal first round match against Carl Zeiss Jena on Wednesday August 28.
