“We broke down in tears”
Manuel Neuer has spoken publicly on the subject for the first time since goalkeeping coach Toni Tapalovic was fired, and in doing so he has harshly criticized the management of FC Bayern. “It was a blow for me – when I was already on the ground. I felt like my heart was being ripped out. That was the most brutal thing I’ve experienced in my career. And I’ve experienced a lot,” said the 36-year-old in an interview on Friday in the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” and at “The Athletic” appeared.
You can’t even compare the hostility from Bayern fans after his move from Schalke 04. This feeling is “a completely different level. Everyone in our goalie squad was ripped to pieces. We broke down in tears,” said Neuer, who denied all allegations against Tapalovic. Most recently, it was said that the goalkeeping coach had passed on the internals of the coaching team to the players.
A conversation with the club management around coach Julian Nagelsmann, sports director Hasan Salihamidzic and the chairman of the board Oliver Kahn did not help to clarify. “There was no reason I could understand. Things have been said that I disagree with. Nothing I heard would have ruled out the possibility of talking to each other and clarifying things,” said Neuer, who now lacks the family feeling in the club. “It’s a sad thing for everyone: for the club, for Tapa, for the staff and for all the goalkeepers, including me.”
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With Yann Sommer (34), a replacement for Neuer was signed in winter, as the national keeper will be out until the end of the season after his skiing accident. The ex-Gladbacher received a contract until 2025 – but was not announced as a legitimate successor beyond the end of the season. The end of the Tapalovic era, who had been in office since 2011, also made Neuer, who still has a working paper until 2024, doubt his role: “I’ve thought about everything possible, including my future in the club.”
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