The scandal between the Senegalese Sadio Mane and the german Leroy Saneteammates in Bayern (Germany) would have been generated by a recrimination of the African after a poorly resolved play in the 3-0 defeat against Manchester Cityfor the Champions League. The altercation continued in the locker room area, where according to various journalistic reports, Mané would have struck his colleague, which caused a wound on his lip. Neither the Bavarian club nor the protagonists confirmed the attack. Bayern suspended Mané and removed him “for misconduct” from this Saturday’s match against Hoffenheim, for the Bundesliga. He will return for the return match against the English at Manchester City. The footballer apologized in a meeting with the dressing room.
This Friday the coach of the Bavarian team spoke, Thomas Tucheland made a fiery defense of the Senegalese: “I am your first lawyer. I have known him for a long time, I know his environment: he is a superprofesional and I never saw anything that could be blamed on him,” said the man who replaced Julian Nagelsmann at the helm of the team. And he added, about Mané: “He has all my confidence, he had it before and he has it after this mistake he has made. Everyone has the right to make a mistake.”
City’s win over Bayern
Apparently, the dispute between the two footballers originated seven minutes from the end of the match against Manchester City, which the Bavarians lost 3-0. Sané, then, reproached his teammate for a decision: face the defense instead of approaching to pass the ball to him. There was an argument in the middle of the field of play, which would have ended with a phrase from Sané that angered the African: “Leave me alone!”
The German and English press add details to the incident: The Mirror newspaper alleges that the african is mourning the death of an uncle, which occurred a few days ago in his native Senegal. In addition, it adds that the father of the African star died when he was barely 11 years old and that the whole family “came together to help his mother raise her family despite the lack of money.” The Mirror reports that Mané built them a mansion in the town of Bambali, where he was born, and financed a hospital and a school, in addition to sending them money every month so that their relatives escape poverty.
A report by the German channel Sport1 ensures that Sané spoke with those responsible for the club so that they are not harsh in punishing Mané. In other words, so they don’t fire him (he has two years left on his contract). According to the German media, “the players involved want to resolve the altercation as smoothly as possible and move on. They do not intend to break the unity of the dressing room or add distractions at a decisive moment of the season.
Sport1 adds that the heads of the club’s sports area (CEO Oliver Khan and sports director Hasan Salihamidzic) expect a positive reaction from Mané on the pitch. They believe that the way in which the matter was resolved will contribute to the African showing the best version of him (who until now has not been seen in the Bayern shirt) in the coming weeks. His team needs him to turn the 0-3 against Manchester City.
Mané, chosen as the best African soccer player of 2022, is quite a celebrity in Senegal, his country. A few months ago, before the World Cup in Qatar, the country’s president announced that they would use healing cures so that the footballer could heal from a rebellious injury and could be in the World Cup. In the end, and despite being on the preliminary list, the player had to watch the matches of the ecumenical event (which consecrated Argentina) on television.
Now, in another bad moment for the Senegalese star, political power once again turned to his support. Both the Minister of Sports and the president of the country’s soccer federation (FSF) spoke in their favor on social media. “You have our support and all our solidarity because we know what a great person you are,” the president of the FSF, Augustin Senghor, posted on Twitter. “I convey to you, on behalf of the government, the unwavering support of all the Senegalese people,” he added. In another post, the Minister of Sports, Yankhoba Diatara.
(With information from the AFP Agency)
THE NATION