Gvardiol hit with two-match cup ban
Josko Gvardiol's late red card in Tuesday's DFB Pokal semi-final victory will not only keep him out of the Final on June 3rd in Berlin, but also Leipzig's cup opener next season.
The German FA confirmed a two-match cup ban for Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol on Thursday after he was sent off on a straight red in the 58th minute of Tuesday's 5-1 semi-final victory over Freiburg. Gvardiol's tactical foul on Roland Sallai will obviously keep him out of the Final on June 3rd in Berlin. Leipzig get set to defend their 2022 cup title against Eintracht Frankfurt at the Olympiastadion.
Citing egregious "unsportsmanlike conduct", the DFB also handed down an additional match suspension for the Croatian on Thursday. Assuming the talent remains with his current German club, he will be unavailable for Leipzig's first competitive match of the 2023/24 cycle. Leipzig did not contest the ruling.