By Victor Kanayo
Moment after altercation with teammate Leroy Sane, Bayern Munich star Sadio Mane is at crossroads, following their 0-3 loss against Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League at the Etihad on Tuesday night.
Sane started the quarter-final first leg while Mane was brought on as a second-half substitute – and it appears that tensions boiled over after the full-time whistle.
Though media reports in Germany claim that everything has been sorted out between the two players, Mane is expected to pay a fine.
The Senegalese captain has also been suspended.
The report maintained that Mane is to remain at Bayern Munich after the altercation.
This development came to the fore after a meeting on Wednesday evening between the club’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Oliver Kahn and board member for sport Hasan Salihamidzic.
It was decided at the meeting that the club would not prematurely end Mane’s contract, which runs until 2025.
Some reports had it that Mane hit Sane in the face and both players had to be separated by team-mates.
The reports also added that the two already had a dispute on the pitch late in Tuesday’s game over a pass movement between them which went wrong.
A statement from the club should be released by the end of the week, one of the reports said.
But club Coach Thomas Tuchel is attending a news conference on Friday and the topic is expected to be mentioned.
Sane was a starter in the first leg quarter-final match, while Mane came on as a substitute in the 69th minute.
Bayern Munich face a big challenge in the return leg next week if they want to advance.
Bayern Munich did not want to comment when approached by the media, but statements from the players have been requested.
The Senegal international joined Bayern Munich in July 2022, as the club hoped he could replace Robert Lewandowski, who moved to FC Barcelona last summer.
Mane, however, has not been able so far to fulfill the role of top goal scorer.
Since a long-term injury which ruled him out of the World Cup in Qatar in December, he has been struggling to find his best form.
