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Super Eagles and Bayer Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface has been suspended for one game by the German Football Federation, DFB following an investigation into his conduct during the recent Supercup celebrations.
Bayer Leverkusen secured a domestic treble on Saturday by defeating VfB Stuttgart on penalties to win the Supercup, adding to their Bundesliga and DFB Pokal titles from last season.
However, the celebrations were marred by controversy, leading to the DFB launching an investigation into Boniface’s actions.
Boniface was accused of making an obscene gesture reportedly showing the middle finger to opposition players during the celebration.
After reviewing the incident, the DFB sports court announced on Wednesday that Boniface would be banned from participating in one DFB Cup match and fined €25,000 (approximately ₦43.8 million).
The punishment was issued after the DFB Control Committee charged the 23-year-old with “blatantly anti-sporting conduct.”
Despite the absence of clear video evidence and the match referee, Tobias Stieler, denying having witnessed the incident, the DFB based its decision on a blurry TikTok image circulating online which was deemed sufficient by the competition control committee to impose the penalty.
In response to the ruling, Bayer Leverkusen and Boniface have accepted the decision. The club posted on their official X (formerly Twitter) handle:
“After receiving a red card in the Supercup, Martin Terrier has been banned for two domestic cup games by the DFB. Victor Boniface has also been banned for one domestic cup game and fined €25,000. #Bayer04 has agreed to the respective judgements.”
After receiving a red card in the Supercup, Martin Terrier has been banned for two domestic cup games by the DFB.
Victor Boniface has also been banned for one domestic cup game and fined €25,000.#Bayer04 has agreed to the respective judgements. pic.twitter.com/GUuEsdF9Xy
— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) August 21, 2024
