Lehmann handed four-match ban

Jens Lehmann, the BV Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper, has been suspended for four 1. Bundesliga games by the disciplinary committee of the German Football Association (DFB) for kicking out at SC Freiburg's Soumalia Coulibaly during last weekend's game.
 
Bad timing
Germany's second-choice goalkeeper escaped punishment at the time as the match officials did not see the incident. The timing of the ban is bad for Dortmund as they are chasing the German league title and are just one point behind leaders Bayer 04 Leverkusen as the season approaches its climax.

'It was stupid'
In a statement published on Dortmund's website, Lehmann said: "I would like to apologise for my behaviour. In that situation I over-reacted because I thought Soumaila Coulibaly had broken my kneecap. I realised immediately that it was stupid to kick my opponent, but it was too late."

Donation to charity
"I have already presented my apologies to Soumaila, Freiburg coach Volker Finke and my team-mates," Lehmann added. "To repair for what I did, I have decided to make a donation to a charitable organisation in the Dortmund area." Dortmund have also fined their goalkeeper an undisclosed fee.