The German football federation's disciplinary panel has recommended an eight-week ban for Schalke midfielder Jermaine Jones after charging the American with intentionally stepping on an opponent's injured foot.
Schalke said Thursday it would appeal the proposed penalty and that would send the case to a judge for a ruling.
The control committee of the federation found Jones had intentionally stepped on the left foot of Borussia Moenchengladbach midfielder Marco Reus during a Bundesliga match last month. Reus was nursing a broken left small toe and was playing with a specially designed shoe. He still scored two goals in a 3-1 win for his team.
The incident early in the game was not noticed by the referee, but was caught by television cameras. The disciplinary panel used video footage to file ''grave misconduct'' charges against Jones, who was sent off at the end of the match in an unrelated incident. It was the fourth red card of his career.
If the penalty is imposed, Jones would be banned from any official and friendly matches until March 1. He would miss six Bundesliga games.
''We cannot accept this penalty,'' Schalke's general manager Horst Heldt told reporters in Doha, Qatar, where Schalke is preparing for the second half of the season.
''Clearly there has to be some punishment but eight weeks is not proportional.''
Jones, who has made 14 appearances for the United States national team, apologized to Reus shortly after the incident.
Reus is considered one of Germany's greatest talents and announced Wednesday that he would move to Borussia Dortmund, last season's champion, from next season.
Under German football regulations, if a player and his club do not accept a proposed penalty, the case goes to a sports court judge, who can ask for a hearing before ruling.
