Huntelaar ban reduced

Schalke have succeeded in their appeal to have Klaas-Jan Huntelaar’s ban reduced, with the striker having two of the six matches suspended.

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar’s six-match ban has been partly suspended after Schalke succeeded with their appeal against the length of the suspension.

The Netherlands international was sent off with five minutes remaining of their 1-0 Bundesliga victory over Hannover on Saturday following a rash challenge on Manuel Schmiedebach.

A straight red card would normally only incur a three-game ban, however Huntelaar’s suspension was extended after confronting referee Sascha Stegemann having been dismissed.

Huntelaar looked set to miss crucial league matches with Bayern Munich, Borussia Monchengladbach and Borussia Dortmund, but will now be available for the last of those fixtures after the DFB reduced his ban.

The new suspension, which started with Tuesday’s 1-1 draw at Bayern Munich, is for four matches, with a further two suspended until January 30, 2016.

Huntelaar will be able to feature in their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie with Real Madrid, but will not play another league game until the final day of February..