Stuttgart's Mvumpa banned after playing under false identity

Both the player and the Bundesliga club accepted the fine and ban, which runs until September 11, for "unsportsmanlike conduct" handed down by the DFB sports court. It means Stuttgart will be without the forward for the first four weeks of the new Bundesliga season which starts August 13.

"It was clear to him and us that Silas would be sanctioned by the DFB," said Stuttgart sporting director Sven Mislintat. "The judgement also takes into account the special circumstances of his case, which we are happy is now closed for Silas."

On Tuesday, Stuttgart announced that Mvumpa -- who had been playing under the alias Silas Wamangituka -- was born on 6 October 1998 in Kinshasa, and not a year later as he had claimed.

The player said he took the drastic step of lying about his name and age after being the victim of manipulation by a former agent. Stuttgart said Mvumpa confessed his true identity to them, which was confirmed by official documents from the Democratic Republic of Congo and the club then notified the DFB.

Mvumpa, who scored 13 goals in 27 games last season, had a trial with Belgian side Anderlecht in 2017 and he claimed he was pressured to move to Paris by his former representative. He joined second-tier Paris FC and then moved to Stuttgart in 2019.

In a statement, Mvumpa said for the last few years he had been "constantly living in fear" and was also "very worried for my family in Congo". He admitted it was "a tough step" to make his story public and thanked Stuttgart for their support.