In a shocking turn of events, Bayern Munich’s Sadio Mane and his teammate Leroy Sane were involved a in a physical attraction following a heated exchange in the dressing room after their 3-0 loss to Manchester City in the Champions League.
Mane came off the bench in the final 20 minutes, but neither he nor Sane could prevent Bayern from suffering a crushing defeat that almost certainly sees them eliminated from the competition ahead of the second leg of their quarter-final tie.
According to German newspaper BILD, the altercation began on the pitch when Sane and Mane had a disagreement after a failed move. It then escalated in the dressing room after the final whistle, with Mane allegedly taking issue with how Sane spoke to him during the game.
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The report goes as far as to claim that Mane physically struck Sane, resulting in visible marks on the German’s face. Other teammates had to intervene to separate the two players, and Sane left the dressing room soon after to calm down.
This incident is just the latest in Mane’s challenging debut season at Bayern Munich since his £35m move from Liverpool in the summer. Despite starting immediately after his arrival, Mane has struggled with both form and injuries, contributing just 11 goals and five assists in 32 appearances across all competitions.
The incident with Sane is reminiscent of another heated argument Mane had just a few weeks prior with then-manager Julian Nagelsmann after he was benched for the second leg of their last-16 victory over Paris Saint-Germain.