Leverkusen's Schmidt hit with five-match ban, fine

Bayer Leverkusen coach Roger Schmidt was on Wednesday banned from the bench for five league games and fined 20,000 euros ($22,031) after refusing a referee's order to leave the touchline during a Bundesliga match.

The German Football Association (DFB) has taken a hard line with Schmidt, who is banned for the next three league games, against Mainz, Werder Bremen and Augsburg, with a further two games suspended until June 30 2017.

Leverkusen's director of sport Rudi Voeller has also been fined 10,000 euros after describing the referee's decision to send Schmidt to the stands as 'completely unnecessary' during a post-match rant. 

Schmidt became engaged in an angry exchange with referee Felix Zwayer following Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's 64th-minute goal at the BayArena last Sunday that gave Borussia Dortmund a 1-0 victory over Leverkusen in Germany's top flight.

Schmidt was ordered to the stands, but refused to leave the technical area, demanding an explanation for Zwayer's decision and the referee reacted by stopping play and walking off the pitch with his assistants.

The match eventually restarted nine minutes later when Schmidt accepted the referee's decision and the 48-year-old later admitted he was wrong to have lost his temper.

The DFB has specified that Schmidt must have no contact with his players, directly or indirectly, from half an hour before each game until 30 minutes after the final whistle.

As well as the sidelines, he is banned from the team dressing room, the area around it and the players' tunnel.