Bayern Munich have suspended forward Sadio Mane for one game after an altercation with Leroy Sane following the club’s Champions League loss to Manchester City, the team announced on Thursday. According to the newspaper *Bild*, the former City winger was struck in the face by the Senegalese attacker, sustaining a cut lip during the incident that occurred after Tuesday’s defeat. Bayern confirmed that “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.” The one‑match suspension means he will be available for manager Thomas Tuchel in Wednesday’s return leg against Manchester City in Munich.
The clash reportedly began in the dying stages of Bayern’s loss in Manchester, with footage showing the two players arguing on the pitch. Since joining the German champions from Liverpool in the summer of 2022, Mane has endured a frustrating spell. Signed as a replacement for the departing Robert Lewandowski, the Champions League winner has scored 11 times in 32 matches for Bayern. He netted six goals in his first seven matches across all competitions, but has not scored since October. This season, six of his Bayern goals have been ruled out for offside, a Bundesliga record. A leg injury sustained against Werder Bremen in November sidelined him from Senegal’s Qatar World Cup campaign and caused him to miss nine club matches.
After Bayern’s German Cup exit at the hands of Freiburg in early April, a smiling Mane told reporters, “Soon, I promise you,” when asked when he would return to the spectacular form he displayed with Liverpool. He earned his first start under Tuchel—who replaced the sacked Julian Nagelsmann last month—in Saturday’s 1‑0 league win at Freiburg, though he missed several chances to score. Prior to the incident, Bayern chief executive Oliver Kahn acknowledged Mane’s struggles, attributing them to “a lot of competition” for starting spots and suggesting the former Southampton striker “doesn’t know that (from Liverpool) and is perhaps not used to it. He’s still looking for himself.”
Bayern declined media requests to comment on the altercation. Mane and Sane were seen on the training pitch early on Thursday, hours before the suspension was announced. The loss to Manchester City was Bayern’s biggest Champions League defeat since 2017 and one of the most devastating in the club’s history. Despite Mane’s availability, the six‑time European champions now have little hope of overturning the deficit in next Wednesday’s return leg in Munich to reach the semi‑finals.
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