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Bayern Munich are reportedly set to hand Manuel Neuer a fine for his controversial interview with The Athletic. The 36-year-old will have to fork out £1.4 million to the Bundesliga champions, as per the BILD.
Neuer was not happy with the German club after they fired his long-time goalkeeper coach Toni Tapalovic. The club took the drastic step after a reported series of disagreements with Julian Nagelsmann.
Club chiefs were also unhappy with the coach sanctioning a skiing holiday for Neuer after Germany were knocked out of the FIFA World Cup. The goalkeeper suffered a broken leg while on holiday and is on the sidelines for the rest of the season.
In his interview with The Athletic, Neuer claimed that his coach's sacking hit him hard:
"That blow hit me extremely hard. I was told by the club officials. It came out of nowhere. For Toni, too. I didn't understand that at all. It really knocked me down. Toni was always a team player with us, everyone saw it that way. He wasn't working for me for eleven and a half years, but for the entire goalkeeper group, for the coaching staff and for the club."
Manuel Neuer added:
"We were always able to separate work and private life. I understand that it might sound like I'm not being objective or not believable, but I can really tell the difference. For me, that was a blow — when I was already down on the ground. I felt like my heart was being ripped out. It was the most brutal thing I've experienced in my career. And I've experienced a lot."
Bayern Munich will not terminate Manuel Neuer's contract
Bayern Munich president Herbert Hainer has revealed that the club will not take the drastic step of terminating Manuel Neuer's contract. When quizzed on whether Bayern Munich will take the same route as Manchester United did with Cristiano Ronaldo, he replied to BR24 Sport:
"No, not at all. That's why we are FC Bayèrn Munich. At FC Bayèrn Munich we will always clarify such things internally. Such things make FC Bayèrn strong and special."
Cristiano Ronaldo's explosive interview with Piers Morgan saw Manchester United terminate his contract at Old Trafford.
