Werder Bremen defender Papy Djilobodji received a three-match man from the German FA on Tuesday after making a throat-slitting gesture during Saturday's 1-1 draw with Mainz in the Bundesliga.

Referee Manuel Graefe missed the incident, but German football officials reviewed the matter after Djilobodji pulled his index finger across his throat in the direction of Mainz winger Pablo de Blasis.

The Senegal international, who joined on loan from Chelsea until the end of the season in January, is set to miss Bremen's trip to Borussia Dortmund after the international break as well as home games against Augsburg and Wolfsburg.

On top of being accused of unsportsmanlike conduct, the 27-year-old also faces a further one-game suspension after picking up his fifth yellow card against Mainz.

In November 2009, St Pauli forward Deniz Naki made a similar gesture to Hansa Rostock fans during a German league match and received a three-match ban from the DFB.

However, Werder have appealed the decision in a bid to free up Djilobodji as they battle to avoid relegation, with Viktor Skripnik's side just one point above the drop zone with seven games left to play.

"We maintain that the ruling of a three-match ban is unjustifiable. Above all, we believe that, under the circumstances, the severity and the wrongdoing in this case was lesser than that of the Deniz Naki case," said Bremen chief executive Thomas Eichin.