Updated:
Apr 14, 2023 8:45 pm
Sadio Mane has been left out of the Bayern Munich squad for their next outing following reports of an alleged fight with teammate Leroy Sane post-match of the midweek defeat at the Etihad.
After suffering a heavy 3-0 defeat away against Manchester City in the quarter-finals of the Champions League on Tuesday night, reports broke that Sadio Mane had allegedly punched team-mate Leroy Sane, in an altercation inside the Bayern Munich dressing room.
Following this alleged incident, Bayern Munich announced that Sadio Mane was to be suspended and fined, reading:
“Sadio Mane, 31, will not be included in the FC Bayern squad for this Saturday’s home match against 1899 Hoffenheim.”
“This is due to his misconduct after Bayern’s Champions League match at Manchester City. Mane will also be given a fine.”
German football journalist, Raphael Honigstein commented on the situation on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Euro Leagues podcast, saying:
“Sadio Mane got a little bit physical with Leroy Sane in the dressing room. It started on the pitch, they were talking about a move that broke down and things got a little bit heated.”
“Two people, who really would know, told me Mane slapped Sane violently and busted his lip a little bit.
“It doesn’t so much speak about the visions in the dressing room, but more to Mane’s very frustrating time at Munich.
“He was hailed as a superstar, there was talk about him possibly winning the Ballon d’Or on the back of winning the African Cup of Nations and going to the World Cup.
“Of course, it didn’t happen because of injury and, when he’s played, he hasn’t quite looked like this unbelievable force of nature. Total energy, wonderful movement, strong mentality – all these things have been missing.
“His stats are not terribly bad so it’s not a complete collapse in form, but he’s not the player they thought they were signing.
“Not playing from the start, and being subbed on by Thomas Tuchel after also missing out on the PSG game where he was also a sub, he wasn’t happy about that.
“There is a lot of stuff happening now in terms of his expectations and disappointments and the same goes for the club, they expected a lot more from him.”
The former Liverpool winger joined the German champions on a three-year deal back in June, costing them £35 million.
Although, the two-time African footballer of the year has not had the start he would have dreamed of when joining earlier this season, having suffered an injury, and only scoring six times this campaign.
New Bayern Munich manager, Thomas Tuchel jumped to Mane’s defence, proclaiming that he ‘has the right to make a mistake’ and labelling him as a ‘top professional.’
Sadio Mane coming on as a substitute against Manchester City in the Champions League quarter-finals
“I’m the first to defend him,” Tuchel explained. “I’ve known him for so long, I know his environment, I know him exclusively as a top professional. He has never, never, never been guilty of anything.
“Everybody has the right to make a mistake. This was too much and against the code of conduct of the team and FC Bayern. He has clearly admitted it, the apology has taken place. It is absolutely credible. It was important to me that he remained in training.”
“I didn’t witness the incident myself because I was in the coach’s room.
“I didn’t hear or overhear anything. I immediately spoke to everyone involved. Because it was a very blatant incident, it was necessary for us to clarify the matter before the next training session and to be clear in our communication with everyone who works here. We have cleared the air so that we can train well together again.
“We’re not the first team to have an incident like this and we won’t be the last. The way the two people involved handled it had a cleansing effect. We had a positive, energetic atmosphere in training.”
Bayern Munich will host Manchester City in the reverse leg of the Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday.
