Bayer Leverkusen's Boniface Walks Out After Omission

Nigerian striker Boniface left the pitch and headed to the dressing room during Bayer Leverkusen's dramatic 4-3 Bundesliga victory over Mainz after being omitted from the final substitutions made by coach Carles Martínez in the 84th minute. Martínez introduced Equi Fernández and Jonas Hofmann for Aleix García and Patrik Schick, leaving Boniface without an opportunity to play.

This incident has raised concerns regarding Boniface's situation at Leverkusen, where he has had minimal playing time this season, making only one Bundesliga appearance for five minutes in the opening match against SV Elversberg, where he provided an assist for Christian Kofane. He has since been overlooked in matches against Union Berlin, Leipzig, and Mainz, and did not play against Augsburg.

Martínez stated he was unaware of the walkout during the match but assured that he would speak with Boniface about it, emphasizing that selection decisions are part of football. Bayer Leverkusen chief Simon Rolfes issued a warning regarding the incident.