Bayern suspends Mane over Sane altercation
Sadio Mane has been suspended by Bayern Munich ahead of their match against Hoffenheim and handed a fine after his postmatch altercation with teammate Leroy Sane on Tuesday.
Multiple reports said Sane suffered a cut lip after the two players clashed in the dressing room after Bayern’s 3-0 defeat to Manchester City in their first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal tie. The pair were seen arguing on the pitch late in the match and reportedly clashed after the match with teammates having to separate them.
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Bayern have since issued a statement on Thursday outlining their disciplinary action against the Senegal star.
The statement read: “Sadio Mane, 31, will not be in the FC Bayern squad for the home game against 1899 Hoffenheim next Saturday. The reason is misconduct by Mane after FC Bayern’s Champions League game at Manchester City. In addition, Mane will receive a fine.”
German publication BILD added that Senegal international Mane, a two-time African footballer of the year, had complained about the way Germany winger Sane spoke to him following the 3-0 loss at the Etihad Stadium.
There was no immediate comment from Bayern about the reported incident with their first official statement coming on Thursday afternoon. Bayern manager Thomas Tuchel is due to speak to the media on Friday.
The result against City was Bayern’s heaviest defeat in the Champions League since falling 3-0 to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017.
Mane has had mixed success since joining from Liverpool last summer, due in part to a leg injury he sustained in November that saw him miss the World Cup in Qatar. Sane has been in Munich since the summer of 2020, leaving City to move to Bavaria in a deal worth €49 million.
The Bundesliga leaders are in a period of transition in recent weeks after Tuchel took over as manager, following the departure of Julian Nagelsmann. Tuchel has overseen four matches since he was named coach, including a league win over Borussia Dortmund, a loss to Freiburg that saw Bayern exit the German Cup and Tuesday’s defeat to City.
Bayern are on 58 points through 27 Bundesliga games this year, while second-place Dortmund have 56 with seven matches left in the league season. Bayern will host City in the second leg at the Allianz Arena on April 19.
Information from Reuters was used in this report.