There is a little hope that Leon Balogun would play for his Bundesliga club Mainz 05 before the end of this season after he was slapped with a three-match ban by the German Football Association on Thursday for violent conduct.

Germany’s international broadcaster DW Sports is reporting that Mainz are appealing the three-game ban for the central defender but he will still miss Saturday’s game against Hamburg at the Coface Arena.

The Rhineland-Palatinate-based outfit were informed by the German Federation that they can appeal the decision within 24 hours and have taken up the option.

This season, Leon Balogun has collected four yellow cards in 21 appearances in the Bundesliga.

The 27-year-old was punished by the DFB for hitting his right knee in the stomach of Carlos Zambrano in last weekend’s clash against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel