Manuel Neuer’s future at Bayern Munich is hanging by a thread. The interview he gave last week in the South German Zeitung did not go down well with the management of Bayern. It is expected that the injured goalkeeper will have to answer to the club management for the interview. Technical director Hasan Salihamidzic has said that he does not recognize himself at all in Neuer’s words. According to BILD it remains to be seen whether Neuer will return under the crossbar in Munich.
Neuer expressed his displeasure last week about the dismissal of goalkeeping coach Toni Tapalovic. Club icons such as Oliver Kahn and Stefan Effenberg already said that they were not served by Neuer’s words. Effenberg openly wondered whether Neuer still has a future at Bayern. Bee Sports1 the former midfielder suggested that it might be better for Neuer to leave the club. “A player has to accept such a departure (from Tapalovic, ed.), even if he is captain. No one is bigger than the club.”
Neuer’s words have also gone wrong with the Bavarian club management. No one at the club knew about the interview Neuer gave to the South German Zeitung. The goalkeeper should have informed his own press department about the interview, but did not report this. According to BILD Neuer knew very well that he was thus getting himself into some misery. The sports newspaper therefore talks about ‘Neuer’s fatal mistake’. Attacking your own employer head-on in this way is deadly BILD.
Salihamidzic said he did not recognize himself in Neuer’s words in the same medium. “The departure of Tapalovic has touched Manuel personally, I understand that. But I didn’t expect this from him, as captain. The difficult decision regarding Tapalovic for us personally has nothing to do with Manuel at all. That’s what we told him,” said Salihamidzic. The technical director soon announced that he would sit down with Neuer. “Any consequences are first discussed with Manuel. We are also disappointed in Tapalovic’s dismissal. And so are we because Manuel has put his personal interests above those of the club.”
Kahn, who is a director at Bayern, previously stated that he was disappointed in Neuer. “What Manuel has said in parts of these two interviews in connection with Tapalovic’s sacking does not do justice to him as captain or to Bayern’s values. Moreover, his statements come at the wrong time, because we have very important games ahead of us. We’re going to talk to him about this.”