France star slapped with spitting ban
“I reacted to an opponent in a wrong way and something occurred accidentally and not intentionally. I apologise to everyone. Of course, I accept all of the consequences of my gesture.”
MUNICH — Borussia Monchengladbach striker Marcus Thuram has been handed a six-match ban after spitting at an opponent on the weekend.
On Saturday, Thuram was sent off during Gladbach’s 2-1 Bundesliga defeat to TSG Hoffenheim after a video review showed the France international spitting in the face of opposition defender Stefan Posch.
The incident sparked mass outrage across Germany, where the country is currently battling the spread of the coronavirus, and resulted in the 23-year-old forward being slapped with a hefty six-match ban by the German Football Association.
Thuram, who is the son of France’s record appearance holder Lilian Thuram, has also been fined one month’s wages by Gladbach, which the club has confirmed will be donated to charity.
The former Sochaux and En Avant Guingamp star has since issued a public apology for his actions, and revealed that he has accepted the respective sanctions handed to him by the football association and his club.
“That is not in my character and must never happen,” Thuram wrote on Instagram.
“I reacted to an opponent in a wrong way and something occurred accidentally and not intentionally. I apologise to everyone. Of course, I accept all of the consequences of my gesture.”