Jose Rodriguez (right) is sent off after fouling Dominik Kohr. Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty ImagesMainz midfielder Jose Rodriguez has apologised to Augsburg's Dominik Kohr for the challenge that injured the Augsburg player in the final stages of a 3-1 Mainz win on Saturday.
Rodriguez was shown a straight red card five minutes into his Bundesliga debut for a dangerous tackle that looks set to rule Kohr out of action for some time.
"I am incredibly sorry that Dominik is injured and I have already apologised to him in person," Rodriguez said in a statement published on Mainz's Facebook page.
"I wanted to block the ball and help the team to preserve their lead.
"I wish him a good recovery from the bottom of my heart."
Augsburg's general manager Stefan Reuter said on Monday that Kohr's injury might not be as serious as feared, telling sport1.de: "The bone is intact, but muscles and tendons are affected.
"It's a deep wound right down to the bone. We can't say yet how long he will be out."