Michael Mifsud feels hard done by the three-match suspension he incurred for an incident with Niko Kovac during Kaiserslautern's 2-0 defeat to Bayern Munich in a Bundesliga match yesterday week but he is more incensed by what he calls 'unfounded reports' about the circumstances surrounding his ban.

Contacted by The Sunday Times, Mifsud, arguably Malta's most famous football import at present, said: "It was no more than the run-of-the-mill incident that happen so often during matches. Kovac was holding me from the back and I tried to steer away from him. In so doing, I stretched my right elbow and hit him in the stomach. His reaction was a bit over the top but he continued to play."

The incident was not spotted by the match officials but the nippy Malta international striker was subsequently banned for three matches by the German FA after it viewed video evidence. Mifsud served the first of his three-match ban yesterday against Wolfsburg at home. He will also miss matches against Borussia Dortmund (away) and Hertha Berlin (home).

"I think the ban is a bit harsh because had I been sent off, I would most probably have only been suspended for one match," the former Sliema speedster said.

Mifsud said the reaction to the incident in the German media was mild but he has been told that here in Malta, it has made headlines.

"I am making a lot of sacrifices to make things work here and I am pleased with the way things have fanned out since I joined Kaiserslautern. My relative success has earned me the respect of the Maltese people and I am honoured to be spoken of so highly by my fellow countrymen," Mifsud said.

"I am still very much interested in what is said and written about me in Malta. The Maltese people give me a lot of courage and motivation and that's why I was hurt when I heard certain untrue comments about the incident which led to my suspension.

"It seems that certain critics like to pounce on such episodes to gain more popularity. I was told that one reporter said that Kovac was taken to hospital immediately after the game but there is no truth in that.

"I saw Kovac speaking to one of my team-mates after the game for about 40 minutes and I was very close to where they were. He even smiled at me. If he were in hospital, I would have certainly made it a point to visit him but it was not the case.

"Also, some suggested that the German media had devoted a lot of coverage to the incident and came to interview me but this is not true," Mifsud told The Sunday Times.

The incident coming at a very difficult time for Kaiserslautern, who are struggling to make ends meet both on and off the pitch, one would have thought that the Maltese striker might have come in for some criticism by the club but he insists that it was not the case. "No-one sought any explanations about the incident from me. In the training, it was business as usual," Mifsud, who in the close season attracted interest from Freiburg, said.

The three-match ban is a blow for Mifsud who was enjoying his best spell with Kaiserslautern's first team since he joined them from Sliema two seasons ago.

When I suggested to Mifsud that this whole saga may dent his confidence, he said that it's the unfounded speculation that has been making the rounds in Malta that has upset his morale most.

"My confidence was high before all this happened. I am disappointed with the incident but I was more angered by what was being said and written about me in Malta because it was tarnishing my reputation.

"I must also say that this was the second time that incorrect information has been given about me. I remember that when we played Teplice in the Intertoto Cup, another newspaper in Malta wrote that I had been sent off which was not true.

"These things hurt me a lot but now, I'm trying to put it behind me. I don't think the ban will undermine my confidence. The coach, Erik Gerets, respects me a lot and I'm only concerned with giving my best in training to show that I'm still hungry to succeed."

Kaiserslautern's finances are in dire straits and they are in danger of being relegated but according to Mifsud, whose contract with them runs out at the end of next season, the players are adamant to put things right on the field of play.

"The fans are still behind the team even though our results have not been very good. Obviously, the ailing finances of the club are a cause for concern for everyone involved but when we are on the training pitch or during a game, we don't let off-field matters distract us," Mifsud said.