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Granit Xhaka suspended for Dortmund-Gladbach clash

Davis Van OpdorpDecember 22, 2015

Borussia Mönchengladbach captain Granit Xhaka received a three-match ban after his third red card of the season. He will be barred from helping Gladbach against Dortmund when the Bundesliga resumes in January.

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Deutschland Fußball Bundesliga Borussia Mönchengladbach vs. SV Darmstadt 98
Image: P. Stollarz/AFP/Getty Images

When Borussia Mönchengladbach resume their Bundesliga season in January against Borussia Dortmund, Granit Xhaka will not be part of the action. The Foals' captain received a three-match ban from Germany's football assocation (DFB) after receiving a straight red card in Gladbach's win against Darmstadt Sunday.

The red card - Xhaka's third of the 2015/16 Bundesliga season - came out of referee's Benjamin Brand's pocket after Xhaka took down Peter Niemeyer in the first half. Already down 0-1 at the time, Gladbach had to come back with 10-men, ultimately downing Darmstadt 3-2 after a late winner from Oscar Wendt.

Xhaka and Gladbach have already accepted the ban without an appeal, the club announced Tuesday on their website. Along with the Dortmund clash, Xhaka will miss matches against eighth-place Mainz and 16th-place Werder Bremen. Xhaka could be suspended again if he picks up a yellow card upon his return from suspension against Hamburg on February 14, currently sitting on four yellow cards in the Bundesliga.

Tsiy William Ndenge
Image: picture-alliance/dpa

Foals lock up teenage prospect

Gladbach may have lost a midfielder for a few weeks, but sporting director Max Eberl also added another on Tuesday. The Foals gave a professional contract to Tsiy William Ndenge, the 18-year-old signing a deal until June 2019.

"Will has developed well and we are confident he can do it in the Bundesliga," Eberl told the Foals website. "He will regularly train with the professionals in January."

In his third year with the club, Ndenge scored four times in four appearances in the UEFA Youth League, and has a goal and two assists in 12 appearances for Gladbach's second team in the Regionalliga West. He is also part of Germany's youth system, appearing in the final two friendlies of the Germany U19 team.

"I am excited to receive a professional contract," said Ndenge. "The contract is also an incentive to continue working hard."