Bayer Leverkusen confirm Victor Boniface bench incident resolved

Sporting director Simon Rolfes confirmed the incident involving Victor Boniface leaving the bench early against Mainz has been resolved internally with no punishment.

The incident involving Victor Boniface following Bayer Leverkusen's Bundesliga match in Mainz has been resolved. Sporting director Simon Rolfes confirmed the striker has been fully reintegrated into the squad after a clarifying conversation with head coach Carles Martínez on Sunday morning.

Boniface left the away victory in Mainz prematurely last Saturday. In the 84th minute of the 4-3 win, he walked off the substitutes' bench after realising he would not be brought on, opting to sit alone in the dressing room instead. Rolfes said the coach spoke directly with him the day after the game to settle the issue. The sporting chief stressed such behaviour is unacceptable. He added that the player knows this too and it is important to be a team and support it at all times.

The 44-year-old showed understanding for the frustration of the forward, who has only been back in team training since July following major knee problems and is improving weekly. Rolfes stated Boniface recognised his action was not clever while still in the dressing room and showed remorse. The club did not issue a penalty. However, Rolfes made it unequivocally clear that such an unauthorised exit must not happen again.

Current Situation and Outlook

Bayer Leverkusen have drawn a line under the matter and are focusing on sporting objectives. Carles Martínez's team sits in fourth place in the Bundesliga after five matchdays. The next fixture is an away game at 17th-placed TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. The full schedule is available on Bayer Leverkusen's fixtures page. Boniface, who was on loan at Werder Bremen last season, is according to Simon Rolfes a good part of the team in daily life and should continue his positive development. The striker was not included in Leverkusen's Europa League squad.