Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel said on Friday he was Sadio Mané’s “advocate” and “defender” the day after he was suspended for one game following his altercation on Tuesday night in Manchester with Leroy Sané. “Sadio, I am his first lawyer and his first defender. I have known him for so long, I know his entourage. I know him exclusively as a super professional, I have never, ever, ever seen anything that could be blamed on him”, praised Thomas Tuchel at a press conference on the eve of receiving Hoffenheim (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ) for the 28th day of the Bundesliga.
Tuesday evening, after the rout in Manchester against City (3-0) in the quarter-final first leg of the Champions League, the tone rose in the Munich locker room at the Etihad Stadium between Sadio Mané and Leroy Sané. The African champion criticized the German international, according to the German press, the way he addressed him at the end of the meeting. In the 83rd minute, the two players had a long verbal explanation on the Mancunian lawn.
According to the German press, Sadio Mané struck a blow in the face of Leroy Sané, who had a bloody lower lip. Bayern suspended Mané for the league match against Hoffenheim and fined him, around half a million euros according to the daily Bild. “It was too much, contrary to the code of conduct within the team and Bayern Munich. There were excuses which are totally trustworthy, there is no reason to doubt it, ”insisted Tuchel, who arrived on the Munich bench only three weeks ago to replace Julian Nagelsmann.
Sadio Mané also received the support of his federation and the Senegalese Minister of Sports. “You have our support and our full solidarity because we know what a beautiful person you are and always remain,” wrote the president of the FSF, Augustin Senghor, on his Twitter account. Sports Minister Yankhoba Diatara gave him, also on Twitter, “the unwavering support of all the Senegalese people”.
Senegal coach Aliou Cissé, quoted by the sports media Wiwsport, estimated that “what is important today, I say it and I repeat it, it is the health of Sadio Mané, his performances with Bayern but also with the national team of Senegal”. Nicknamed FC Hollywood in the past for the whims of their stars, Bayern are restless behind the scenes this season.
“It’s intense, but I think it appears more agitated from the outside than it is internally, even in this situation,” slipped Thomas Tuchel. Eliminated from the German Cup by Freiburg ten days ago, Bayern is in very bad shape in the Champions League after the first leg and has only a two-point lead in the league over Borussia Dortmund, seven days away from the end of the season.