This afternoon, Werder Bremen accepted the penalty sent down by the German Football League’s (DFB) disciplinary committee for playmaker Diego, who will now serve a three match suspension. The ban means the Brazilian international will miss out on clashes with Borussia Dortmund, VfB Stuttgart and VfL Wolfsburg. The Green-Whites playmaker will be available to his trainer for the UEFA Cup tie with Glasgow Rangers.
The disciplinary committee, which is headed by Dr. Anton Nachreiner, considered Diego’s action against Sotirios Kyrgiakos to be violent conduct despite provocation from the Greek defender and handled strictly by the book. In the 40th minute of the game, Werder’s playmaker rammed a shoulder into the centre half’s chest, sending him crashing to the ground. Referee Dr. Helmut Fleischer brandished the red card immediately, sending the Brazilian from the field of play.
Werder Bremen’s general manager Klaus Allofs said on Monday: "We accept the penalty which was issued in accordance with the possibilities which were open. Considering the situation, we had hoped that the committee might find a more lenient two match ban to be sufficient."