Jones banned for eight weeks

Schalke midfielder Jermaine Jones has been banned for eight weeks by the German Football Association for stamping on Borussia Monchengladbach's Marco Reus. The German FA (DFB) confirmed today that the midfielder would be banned until 1 March after being found guilty of "extreme sporting misconduct". The DFB's control committee ruled Jones had deliberately stamped on Reus' recently-injured left foot in a DFB-Pokal game on 21 December. Reus was playing in a special boot to protect a broken toe, but still scored twice to help Monchengladbach win 3-1. Referee Wolfgang Stark told the DFB he did not see the incident, although Jones was subsequently sent off in the last minute of the match for a different offence. The suspension applies to all competitions and friendly games. Schalke general manager Horst Heldt accepted the severity of the incident, but suggested the suspension should just apply to the cup. He told Schalke's official website: "I don't want to downplay this, it was an assault which requires a certain penalty. But there have been similar assaults which were then punished in the competition in which they took place. Jones will miss six Bundesliga games should the club decide not to appeal the ban, with the league on their winter break. Heldt added: "Jermaine has also personally apologised to Reus and has demonstrated remorse and reason in the aftermath of the incident. I am sure he has learned from the situation." Schalke opted not to contest the suspension. "We accept the DFB's punishment," Heldt said from the club's training camp in Doha. "We have consulted intensively and weighed up all the possibilities of influencing the verdict in our favour - but the chances are nil."