Bayern Munich‘s Sadio Mane and Leroy Sane clashed in the dressing room after the German club’s Champions League quarterfinal first-leg defeat at Manchester City, according to multiple reports in Germany on Wednesday.
The reports indicated Sane suffered a cut lip in the altercation and that the two — who also were seen arguing on the pitch late in the game — had to be separated by teammates.
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Bild added that Senegal international Mane, a two times African footballer of the year, had complained about the way Germany winger Sane spoke to him following the 3-0 loss at the Etihad Stadium.
There was no immediate comment from Bayern Munich about the reported incident.
The result against City was Bayern’s heaviest defeat in the Champions League since falling 3-0 to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017.
Mane has had an up-and-down campaign in 2022-23 since joining from Liverpool in the summer, due in large part to a leg injury he picked up on Nov. 8 that saw him miss the World Cup. Sane has been in Munich since the summer of 2020, leaving Manchester City to move to Bavaria in a transfer valued at €49 million.
The Bundesliga leaders are in a period of transition in recent weeks after Thomas Tuchel took over as manager, following the departure of Julian Nagelsmann. Tuchel has overseen four matches since he was named coach, including a league win over Borussia Dortmund, a loss to Freiburg that saw Bayern exit the German Cup and Tuesday’s defeat to Man City.
Bayern are on 58 points through 27 Bundesliga games this year, while second-place Dortmund have 56 with seven matches left in the league season. Bayern will host Man City in the second leg at the Allianz Arena on April 19.
Information from Reuters was used in this report.
