Bayern look to CAS after Ribery ban upheld

Bayern Munich will take their fight against Frank Ribery's ban, which rules him out of this month's Champions League final, to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Midfielder Ribery lost his appeal against the three-match suspension at a UEFA hearing in Nyon on Wednesday afternoon.

Ribery received a straight red card for a stamp on Lisandro Lopez during the first leg of Bayern's semi-final tie against Lyon last month, which the German side won 4-0 on aggregate.

The 27-year-old was handed an automatic one-match ban for the dismissal and had hoped UEFA's punishment would stop at that.

But European football's governing body extended the suspension at a meeting of the organisation's control and disciplinary panel on April 28, and have upheld that decision despite representations made by a Bayern delegation that included Ribery and club chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.

Rummenigge said in a statement released by the club: "Franck Ribery as well as our in-house counsel Dr Gerlinger have in my view put an impressive case to the court that we are not dealing with violent conduct but merely a foul.

"The committee rated this case as a borderline case. Nevertheless the three-person committee unfortunately did not follow FC Bayern's plea.

"We are very disappointed by this judgment and still cannot comprehend that this foul was judged as violent conduct.

"We told UEFA immediately after the verdict that we will also appeal against this judgment. We will continue to fight for justice so that Franck Ribery, despite the confirmation of the ban, can still play in the Champions League final."

The loss of Ribery for the match against Inter Milan at Madrid's Bernabeu stadium on May 22 would deprive Bayern of perhaps their most important player. Ribery also stands to miss the first European game of next season if his appeal to CAS fails.