Not only Manuel Neuer was “heart ripped out” – the bosses of FC Bayern were also badly hit by his attack. Sport director Hasan Salihamidži? announces a clarification of the issue with the injured goalkeeper and captain.
Board member for sport Hasan Salihamidži? agreed with Oliver Kahn’s criticism of the explosive statements made by national goalkeeper Manuel Neuer in two interviews and announced that the subject would be clarified with the Bayern Munich captain. “I understand that Manuel is personally affected. But I would have expected a different behavior from him, especially as captain.” He explained: “Tapalovic’s decision, which was also difficult for us personally, had nothing to do with Manuel at all, and we explained that to him.”
On January 23, FC Bayern parted ways with Toni Tapalovic, who was not only the goalkeeping coach for Munich, but is also a close friend of Neuer. In word-for-word conversations with the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” and the portal “The Athletic”, which were published on Friday, he explained: That was “the most blatant” thing he had experienced in his career. “For me it was a blow when I was already on the ground. I felt like my heart was being ripped out.”
The interview was probably not agreed with the club’s press department, for a similar case the former Bayern captain Philipp Lahm once had to pay a fine of 50,000 euros. Salihamidži? did not want to make public whether Neuer would have to reckon with similar consequences. “If there are any consequences, we will first talk to Manuel about it himself. The disappointment he describes about Tapa’s release also prevails with us because Manuel has put his personal interests here above the interests of the club. But we will do it internally discuss it reasonably with him,” said the sports director.
Bayern boss Oliver Kahn announced “clear talks” with Neuer. Salihamidži? found that Kahn correctly classified the parts of the interview that were relevant to FC Bayern. “What does that mean? That we have a very important issue to clarify with Manuel,” he said.
(This article was first published on Sunday, February 05, 2023.)
