Report: Bayern Munich star Sadio Mane punched teammate in face after loss

Jul 20, 2022; Washington, DC, USA; Bayern Munich forward Sadio Mane (17) dribbles the ball against D.C. United at Audi Field. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Basketball is not the only sport where teammates are at each other’s throats right now.

Sky Sports Germany reported on Wednesday that soccer star Sadio Mane of German club Bayern Munich punched teammate Leroy Sane in the face after a crucial loss to Manchester City in Champions League play this week. The two players were seen arguing on the pitch toward the end of the 3-0 defeat and got into the altercation in the dressing room afterward, the report adds. Mane and Sane had to be separated by their teammates, and Sane’s lip was reportedly bleeding following the incident.

The annual Champions League is the most prestigious competition in European club football. Bayern Munich and Manchester City are facing off in the quarterfinal as two of the last eight teams standing. While it is a two-leg showdown between the two teams, Bayern is now at a big disadvantage after falling behind 0-3 in the first leg (as the team with the higher aggregate score advances to the semifinal).

Mane, who had previously starred for English club Liverpool, is in his first season with Bayern after signing with them during last summer’s transfer window. Sane, meanwhile, has been with Bayern since 2020.

It has been an up-and-down season for Bayern as a club too. The biggest juggernaut in German soccer, they are currently in first place in their league (the Bundesliga) but have rivals Borussia Dortmund sitting just two points behind them. Bayern also recently fired manager Julian Nagelsmann (with the Manchester City match marking one of successor Thomas Tuchel’s first in charge).

Bayern and Manchester City play their second leg on Apr. 19. But until then, the former might have to withstand a bunch of memes comparing them to this team in the NBA.