Emanuel Emegha has accepted his ban from Strasbourg and pledged to support the team against Toulouse this weekend despite not being involved on the pitch. The striker, who is set to join Chelsea in 2026, was handed a one-game suspension by the French side after what they described as a "failure to respect the club's values, expectations and rules".

Emegha, 22, joined from Sturm Graz in 2023 and was Strasbourg's top scorer last term as they narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification. He has added a further seven goals this term, but that hasn't stopped the club taking a hard stance.

According to L'Equipe (via GFFN), the Dutch international's punishment relates to an interview in which he said he thought Strasbourg was in Germany before joining the club, as well as comments about the Alsatian side's poor results being down to his absence through injury. He has since spoken with club president Marc Keller and has vowed to behave better going forward.

“I’m 22, I’ve made mistakes and I know that I have much to learn," the striker wrote on social media. "And I must learn from this. I know that I must do better, and I will, on and off the pitch to represent the club.“

"He [Keller] knows how much I love this club and how much I work every day. I also extend my thanks to my teammates, the staff, head coach Liam Rosenior and Sporting Director David Weir and everyone associated with the team. On Saturday, I will 200% back the team like a supporter.“

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A club statement published by Strasbourg read: "Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace has decided to suspend Emmanuel Emegha for its next Ligue 1 match, this Saturday December 6 in Toulouse. This decision was taken following the player's recent failure to respect the club's values, expectations and rules.

"Racing reaffirms its commitment to the essential principles of exemplary conduct and respect for the collective framework. Emmanuel remains an important member of our team, who has always given his all for the club on the pitch. He will be reintegrated into the squad after this match. No further comments will be made.”

Strasbourg finished last season in seventh place but were just four points adrift of third-place Monaco. After eight games of the new season, Liam Rosenior's side are in eighth but still have European qualification in their grasp.

Four of Emegha's goals have come in the league, with the remaining three in the Conference League. He bagged a brace against Brondby in the play-off round to send Rosenior's men through to the league phase, where he netted in a comeback victory at home to Crystal Palace.

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