Ribery to miss Bundesliga start

France and Bayern Munich midfielder Franck Ribery will miss the start of the Bundesliga season after undergoing surgery on torn ankle ligaments.

The 25-year-old fell awkwardly during Tuesday's 2-0 defeat to Italy that saw France crash out of Euro 2008.

It was initially feared he had broken his leg, but subsequent scans revealed ligament damage and he faces up to two months on the sidelines.

"We deeply regret the injury," Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said.

"But, at the same time, we're happy that the first ominous diagnosis turned out not to be true."

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"France missed Ribery a lot when he went off"
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The playmaker had been one of France's better performers in what was a terrible tournament for the 2006 World Cup finalists.

They drew their opening match with Romania and suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat to Holland before losing to Italy on Tuesday.

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