Ribery confronted by fan at Bayern training ground

13-Feb-2013 7:33:00 PM

Police were called after the France forward became embroiled in a heated exchange with the suspect, though club spokesman Markus Horwick confirmed there were no physical threats

Bayern Munich star Franck Ribery was involved in a confrontation with a member of the public at the club's training session on Wednesday.

The man in question approached the Bavarians' Sabener Strasse headquarters, claiming to be a friend of the Frenchman's, before becoming embroiled in a heated argument with the attacker when asked why he was there.

Police have confirmed that they were called to an incident involving an intruder at the training base, but that the issue was resolved on site.

"We had to attend an incident at Sabener Strasse," police spokeswoman Alexandra Schmeitz told TZ. "Because of a suspect who was located there. We went there, and sorted everything out."

Prior to the training session, Ribery had instructed security that his brother and cousin would be visiting him, which resulted in the fan being mistakenly allowed to enter the compound after he claimed in French that he knew the 29-year-old.

Contrary to initial reports, the confrontation did not become a physical one, according to Bayern spokesman Markus Horwick. When asked if any threats were levelled by either party, he told Stern: "No, there have not been any - from neither side."

It is believed that the man in question visited the training ground two weeks ago with a dog, purporting that he had come to give it to Ribery. The player himself denied any knowledge of the man's claims, and the animal was taken to a shelter.