Bayern Munich have suspended Sadio Mane following his altercation with Leroy Sane after their Champions League loss to Manchester City in midweek.
Former Liverpool star Mane, who joined Bayern last summer, was only used as a late substitute at the Etihad but was involved in an on-field row with Sane in the 83rd minute. That row continued post-game in the dressing room, where Mane punched his teammate in the face. Mane has been fined by Bayern but has now been temporarily suspended by club chiefs also.
A club statement read: “Sadio Mane, 31, will not be included in the FC Bayern squad for this Saturday’s home match against 1899 Hoffenheim. This is due to his misconduct after Bayern’s Champions League match at Manchester City. Mané will also be given a fine.”
Intriguingly, Mane, who cost the German champions £35million and earns £250k-a-week, was allowed to take part in the morning training session at Sabener Strasse on Thursday before the decision was made.
Mane had earlier apologised to teammates for his actions following a meeting with president Oliver Kahn, sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic and former City ace Sane.
He had appeared in good spirits during training, joking with teammate Benjamin Pavard and in discussions with the club’s new head coach, Thomas Tuchel. The ex-Chelsea boss even picked Mane and Sane to train together in the same small group during their warm-up.
His debut campaign in Germany has been one of difficulty, however. Injury ended his hopes of appearing at the World Cup in Qatar but even before then, he had failed to hit the heights shown during his glorious spell at Anfield.
His return to fitness has been a slow road and he has started just one of the three games since Tuchel replaced Julian Nagelsmann as head coach last month.
