FIFA says Bayern Munich forward Leroy Sané has been banned from Germany’s next three international friendly games for shoving an opponent, the latest blow to the host nation’s preparations for the European Championship.
Sané was sent off for pushing Austria’s Philipp Mwene to the ground in a 2-0 friendly loss in November which ended a disappointing year for Germany.
FIFA said in an e-mailed statement Thursday that Sané has been suspended for three matches. That would cover scheduled friendlies for Germany in March against France and the Netherlands and one other game likely to be in the immediate run-up to the tournament.
The German soccer federation said the FIFA ruling was not final and indicated an appeal could be possible.
Germany fired coach Hansi Flick in September after a run of five games without a win. His successor Julian Nagelsmann has won one of four games since he took charge.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
