The start of the year has not been kind to Bayern München, especially with three straight draws and many incidents away from the pitch.
One of those problems away from the pitch has featured Manuel Neuer and his disagreement with the team's hierarchy over the sacking of Toni Tapalovic, the team's goalkeeping coach and a close friend of his. The 2014 World Cup winner with Germany gave a lengthy interview to The Athletic where he voiced his discomfort over this decision, and he earned a harsh response by none other than Oliver Kahn.
The former Bayern and Germany footballer did not hold back when speaking about the circumstances that led to Tapalovic's exit, and while doing that, he aimed quite a few digs at Manuel Neuer for showing his discomfort.
"What Manuel said in the interview regarding Toni Tapalovic's exit is not what you would expect from a captain and it does not fit Bayern's values. Added to it, his statements come in a complicated moment for us, because we are facing a streak of really important matches,"Kahn stated.
The former goalkeeper added that, even if Neuer has to be understood for the departure of his friend, he was made aware of the decision even before Tapalovic was informed about his exit.
"He has taken it personally, and you have to understand that in some way. We explained to him that this decision was not easy, and we also told Neuer it was the best possible decision for our team at the moment,"Kahn added.
Then, Kahn shared a bit of his personal experience during a similar scenario during his playing days, and concluded the interview by launching what seemed to be a threat to the World Cup winner with Germany.
"Back in my time, our goalkeepers' coach, Sepp Maier, felt betrayed by the DFB and he left. I had worked with him for years and I felt disappointed by the German Federation at the time, but the team's goals were more important to me back then. That's where you can draw the line between me and Manuel. I decided to keep my feelings to myself, while Manuel has decided to speak out loud. Well, we will have an emphatic word with him when we get the chance," Kahn concluded.
