Football
Stephan Uersfeld, Germany correspondent 9y

Hamburg say sorry to Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery over fan

Hamburg have apologised after a fan confronted Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery on the pitch during the DFB-Pokal tie between the clubs on Wednesday night.

With seconds remaining of the match -- won 3-1 by Bayern -- the fan confronted 31-year-old Ribery, hitting him with his scarf and making gestures before stewards ushered him away.

After the game, Hamburg said sorry on their Twitter feed, writing: "Dear FC Bayern, dear Franck Ribery. We apologise for the scene close to the end. That's not HSV!"

In response, Bayern tweeted: "Great gesture, HSV. Respect."

Ribery, who was barracked by home fans after becoming involved in an early row with full-back Ashton Gotz, told ARD TV in quotes reported by Bild: "That was a difficult situation.

"I did not see him coming, and was a bit annoyed after that. It shouldn't happen -- but it's not that bad."

The incident was condemned by Bayern's Thomas Muller, who said: "Whenever Mr Pitch Invader sees it on TV at home, he hopefully won't say that this was great," while Philipp Lahm described it as "utterly unnecessary."

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