The Bayern Munich games Sadio Mane will miss with internal suspension
By Euan Burns
There has been some serious drama at Bayern Munich over the past few weeks with the Bundesliga champions garnering a huge amount of interest for off-field matters.
Many were surprised by their recent decision to sack Julian Nagelsmann and replace him with Thomas Tuchel so close to the end of the season when they are top of the Bundesliga and still in the Champions League.
That drama has been swiftly forgotten though, due to an altercation between former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane and ex-Manchester City winger Leroy Sane.
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What happened between Sadio Mane and Leroy Sane?
While Bayern may have still been in the Champions League when Tuchel was appointed, it's very hard to envisage their presence in the tournament in a week's time. They were easily beaten 3-0 by Manchester City in the first leg of their quarter-final.
In that game, there seemed to be a slight flashpoint after a misplaced pass between Mane and Sane. This discussion was carried down the tunnel at the Etihad Stadium and into the away changing room.
Mane then reportedly punched Sane in the face and caused the German winger's lip to bleed. The tussle had to be quickly broken up by surrounding players and staff.
The games Sadio Mane will miss with Bayern suspension
While the incident was reported by the press on the night of the game, no action had been taken by the club on Thursday morning. Both players trained with the rest of the team as normal, suggesting the issue may have been resolved.
Mane was then suspended by Bayern on Thursday afternoon. He will receive a fine and not play any part in their match against Hoffenheim at the weekend. As it stands, he seems set to only miss one game through suspension, meaning he could play in the return leg against Man City.
A statement from Bayern on Thursday read: “Sadio Mane, 31, will not be in the FC Bayern squad for the home game against 1899 Hoffenheim next Saturday. The reason is misconduct by Mane after FC Bayern’s Champions League game at Manchester City. In addition, Mane will receive a fine.”
That statement leaves it open to interpretation whether the ban will extend beyond the Hoffenheim game, but that is the only match he is currently out of.
Sadio Mane's time at Bayern Munich so far
Mane joined Bayern from Liverpool in the summer transfer window for €32m, which was viewed as a steal considering the Senegalese forward's undoubted quality.
It seemed like one of those moves that could only go positively but as the club looked to adjust to life without Robert Lewandowski, Mane found it hard to make much of an impact. He managed five goals in his first ten Bundesliga games with no assists, which is respectable but not the output Bayern signed him for.
His best league game came in a 6-2 win against Mainz in which he scored once and grabbed two assists. He has scored three times in the Champions League, once in the DFB Pokal and he grabbed a goal in the German Super Cup final win over RB Leipzig.
He also missed nine games through an injury. Overall so far this season, Mane has managed to get 11 goals and five assists.