Victor Boniface, the Nigerian striker for Bayer Leverkusen, has been handed a match ban and fined €25,000 following an offensive gesture made during the German Super Cup match against Stuttgart at BayArena on Saturday.

Boniface, who scored the opening goal in the 2-0 victory, allegedly displayed his left middle finger towards players after the final whistle. As a result, he will miss Bayer Leverkusen’s German Cup fixture against Carl Zeiss Jena on Saturday but will be eligible for their opening Bundesliga match against Borussia Monchengladbach on Friday.

Referee Tobias Stieler did not witness the incident, prompting the disciplinary committee to conduct a retrospective investigation and impose the sanctions. Both Boniface and Bayer Leverkusen have accepted the ruling, making it legally binding.