The French league's disciplinary commission have banned Brunner for four matches. The striker, who has scored six goals in his first seven games in all competitions for the Ligue 1 leaders, will initially miss only two. The other two matches were suspended on probation.
After a spectacular goal against Racing Strasbourg, Brunner ran towards the away fans and made a cut-throat gesture with his hands. The referee included the incident in his match report, allowing the association to open an investigation into the former Borussia Dortmund wonderkid.
At one stage, even France's national ethics council became involved in the debate.
What does Paris Brunner say about the cut-throat celebration?
Brunner explained his gesture as follows: "They spoke about my family, my mother and my father. I could see those who insulted me. There were a lot of emotions after the goal, especially after a strike like that. I did not want to be disrespectful. I would not say that I regret it, but that was not the message I wanted to convey. It was misunderstood. What I wanted to say was: What a goal, that was it."
Last weekend brought more ugly scenes in Strasbourg, as former Racing coach Liam Rosenior celebrated wildly in front of the Strasbourg end after the victory of his new team FC Paris. That then sparked a massive melee. Rosenior also justified his questionable action by saying that he had been insulted by some fans.