Boniface under probe over foul gesture

Germanoutlet Weltfussball on Monday confirmed that the German Football Association has initiated an investigation into the conduct of Nigeria international Victor Boniface during Bayer Leverkusen’s Super Cup win over VfB Stuttgart on Saturday.

Boniface was reported to have shown the opposing players his outstretched left middle finger as he ran past him after the final whistle.

The 23-year-old opened the scoring in the 11th minute before being substituted for tactical reasons after Martin Terrier was shown a red card in the first half.

Centre referee Tobias Stieler said in his report that he didn’t witness the alleged gesture, allowing the DFB’s control committee to pursue an investigation into the incident. The Super Cup could have repercussions for the striker if found guilty.

While no concrete evidence or TV footage confirms the incident, Stuttgart players remained adamant that the Super Eagles striker was offensive with his gesture.

Boniface was subsequently shown a yellow card in the 80th minute for dissent while on the bench following a VAR decision that went against his team.

Since joining the club, the Nigerian has been instrumental to Leverkusen’s successes, guiding them to a cup double last season.

The Akure-born forward scored 21 goals and provided 10 assists in 34 appearances across all competitions.

Boniface was named Rookie of the Year last season following a spectacular debut campaign in the German top flight, which culminated in Bayer Leverkusen winning the Bundesliga for the first time in the club’s history.