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Ribery outraged by lack of protection

Tuesday 24 March 2009 11:29 GMT
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Bayern Munich midfielder Franck Ribery has demanded more protection from Bundesliga referees.

The France international was outraged after Karlsruhe defender Andreas Goerlitz avoided a red card despite appearing to catch him in the face during a stormy weekend encounter which Bayern won 1-0.

"I get so many hits that it really frustrates me. That winds me up and annoys me," fumed Ribery.

"I would like the referee to do his job better, which means giving more yellow cards out to my opponents.

"That would warn them that they should go a little easier on me."

Meanwhile, Hertha Berlin skipper Arne Friedrich will be sidelined for two weeks.

The Germany defender has already pulled out of the international squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Liechtenstein and Wales after scans confirmed a torn thigh muscle.

"This is really annoying as I missed the last Germany game due to back problems," he said.

Hertha are now facing a race against time to get their talismanic captain back in time for their next home game against Borussia Dortmund.

Elsewhere, Hannover fear striker Jan Schlaudraff could be sidelined for the rest of the season following a further bout of groin surgery.

The 25-year-old had only just returned to action following a two-month injury lay-off when he aggravated a groin problem.

The striker is now set for surgery on Wednesday which will sideline him for 'several weeks'.

Schlaudraff, who has scored five goals this season, is now unlikely to be rushed back into action before the end of the campaign.

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