Bauer said the men told him, “This is just a warning. If nothing happens against Halle, we will come back.” The midfielder immediately left town with his girlfriend, missing Sunday’s game in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt.

“It was just a verbal threat,” the 29-year-old said on Monday. “But I knew I better leave for now.”

Bauer’s agent Henry Hennig said the player had not pressed any charges, though Magdeburg football club has. Bauer is already pressing charges for a written death threat he received a few weeks ago.

The president of Saxony-Anhalt’s football association Werner Georg condemned the attackers. “What happened in this case was highly criminal,” he said. “If the perpetrators are found, extreme punishments need to be imposed to draw a line.”

Magdeburg football club’s Sporting Director Detlef Ullrich told the Mitteldeutsche Zeitung newspaper, “I’ve not had any contact with him. This business has surprised us all.”

Hennig also confirmed that Bauer would not be playing in Wednesday’s cup fixture against Union Sandersdorf. “There’s no way he’s going back to Magdeburg for the moment,” he said. Bauer is considering seeking a negotiation with club management to terminate his contract.

Bauer had rows with Magdeburg fans last season after he spoke out against threatening against players.

Bauer’s team-mates did not comment on the affair. The club drew 0-0 against Halle on Sunday and is stuck in 16th place in Germany’s northern regional league, having sacked coach Wolfgang Sandhowe last week.

The Local/DPA/bk