Robben, Ribery reconcile after bust-up

AFP

Dutch winger Arjen Robben,left, says he has made up with his Bayern Munich team-mate Franck Ribery,right.

Munich – Dutch winger Arjen Robben says he has made up with his Bayern Munich teammate Franck Ribery and also wants to put an incident in which he was jeered by Bayern fans behind him.

Robben, 28, had experienced a frustrating end of the season with a penalty miss in the losing Champions League final against Chelsea and a disastrous Dutch performance at Euro 2012.

He had initially delayed new contract talks at Bayern following an incident in which he was reportedly punched by Ribery at half-time in their Champions League first-leg semifinal game against Real Madrid.

However Robben told Kicker sports magazine published Monday that he had now forgiven Ribery.

“What happened there was disappointing, a real shame,” he said.

“I got on well with him. We always had a lot of fun together on the pitch and a good relationship off the pitch, and then something like that happens...But you also have to forgive in life.”

Asked if he had forgiven the French midfielder, Robben said: “Yes, I will do everything so that we work well together. He apologised immediately. At the beginning it was hard to accept. Now it's good.”

According to German media reports at the time, Robben was also disappointed that the club did not clearly come out in his support but instead tried to play down the incident.

Robben, who later extended his contact until 2015, was given a hostile reception from some Bayern fans in a friendly against the Dutch national side in Munich just three days after he failed to convert an extra-time penalty against Chelsea in the May 19

Champions League final in the same stadium.

Robben told Kicker that incident was now “behind us” and that he would rather look ahead to the new season.

“It wasn't nice and really disappointing for me. I assume it won't happen again,” he said.

“This match was in general very difficult after the disappointment in the Champions League final but a real fan doesn't jeer its own player.” – Sapa-dpa