BORUSSIA MONCHENGLADBACH forward Marcus Thuram has been slapped with a five-game ban for spitting on Hoffenheim defender Stefan Posch.
The 23-year-old spat in Posch’s face after a heated confrontation in the 77th minute of Gladbach’s 1-0 loss to their Bundesliga rivals.
Marcus Thuram was seen spitting on Stefan Posch
Marcus Thuram was sent off after a VAR reviewCredit: AFP
After nearly butting heads, Thuram – the son of France and Juventus great Lillian – seemed to spit on Posch from just inches away.
The referee missed the incident but gave Thuram his marching orders after reviewing it via VAR.
And the German Football Federation (DFB) have not taken the Frenchman’s actions lightly, handing him a five-match suspension and a £37,000 (€40,000) fine.
A further one-game ban has been suspended provided Thuram showcases good behaviour until December 21, 2021.
Gladbach have already fined Thuram a month’s wages his for unsavoury actions, for which he apologised profusely on Instagram.
He said: “Today something took place that is not in my character and must never happen.
“I reacted to an opponent in a wrong way and something occurred accidentally and not intentionally,’ Thuram wrote on Instagram on Saturday.
“I apologize to everyone, to Stefan Posch, to my opponents, to my teammates, to my family and to all those who saw my reaction. Of course, I accept all the consequences of my gesture.”
Gladbach’s sporting director, Max Eberl, was disgusted by Thuram’s actions but insists the incident was completely out of character.
He said: “Marcus is devastated and has assured me that he did not purposely spit at Stefan Posch. He told me that during a dispute with Stefan Posch, he had unintentionally spat after cursing several times in French in the heat of the moment.
“He knows that this doesn’t change anything and that the pictures speak for themselves, and that the sending off was the right call.
“I believe Marcus because I have come to know him as a reflective person with a great demeanour.”
Thuram will miss Monchengladbach’s upcoming matches against SV Elversberg, Arminia, Bayern Munich, Stuttgart and Werder Bremen.
His suspension will be over just in time for the visit of Borussia Dortmund on January 22.
Marcus Thuram spits in the face of Stefan Posch
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
