Former Bayern Munich player Franck Ribery apologized to the assistant referee who paid him after his side's 2-1 defeat at Fiorentina and Lazio on Sunday.
Ribery said in a tweet on his Twitter account, "He apologizes to his colleagues, the technical staff and supporters of Fiorentina, as well as to the assistant referee Pasiri, which Ribery paid."
Ribery has been suspended for three matches following the attack. The statement said Ribery, who was sent off after the final whistle, approached "in a threatening way" to the assistant referee and went to him "with blasphemous words" before paying him. The former French international was also fined 20,000 euros. Ribéry appeared angry at his coach Vicenzo Montella when he was sent off in the 74th minute, and the cameras repeatedly showed his resentment at the coach's decision. The clothes, under Fiorentina players' protests over the late goal of Lazio in the 89th minute, awarded the referee a penalty for the visitors in overtime missed by Felipe Caicedo.