26 January 2023 , 10:13
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Former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane was a "big culprit" for forgetting his passport for away trips, the Senegal international's former team-mate Andy Robertson has said.
Mane left Anfield in the summer, joining Bayern Munich after a six-year stint on Merseyside. During that period, the now-30-year-old scored 120 goals in 269 games, winning the Premier League and Champions League, among other trophies.
While top clubs will regularly take private planes rather than commercial jets, players forgetting their passports can still lead to delays in journeys. And Robertson, shedding light on some of his team-mates' crimes, suggested Mane may have been guilty of leaving his document at home on more than one occasion.
"Some of the fines are expensive," the Scotland international told the We Are Liverpool podcast. "If you forget your passport for an away trip, you're getting a lot of your wage taken off you.
"It's happened a few times, Sadio [Mane] was a big culprit for that and obviously it delays the plane and delays when we get there. We had to put a big fine in."
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Robertson revealed veteran midfielder James Milner acts as "the fine police" in such situations. "Since I have been here, he has been fined once and the place erupted!" he said.
What do you make of football clubs' fine systems? Have your say in the comments section.
Sadio Mane and Andy Robertson spent several years together at Liverpool (Getty Images)Since Mane left Anfield, Jurgen Klopp's side have struggled in the Premier League. Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota were expected to fill the gap left by the Bayern man, but both have suffered with injuries for chunks of the campaign, prompting the Reds to dip into the transfer market for Cody Gakpo.
Mane has 11 goals in his first 23 games for Bayern, helping Julian Nagelsmann's reigning champions return to the top of the Bundesliga after what was a slow start, by their own high standards. He has been out of action since November, though, missing the World Cup thanks to an injury sustained in a 6-1 victory over Werder Bremen.
Sadio Mane is out injured for Bayern Munich (Corbis via Getty Images)Liverpool and Bayern are both to return to European action in February, and both face tricky match-ups despite differing fortunes in the group stage. Klopp's men have a rematch of the 2022 final against Real Madrid after finishing second behind Napoli in their group, while Bayern - despite finishing ahead of Inter Milan, Barcelona and Viktoria Plzen - will take on Paris Saint-Germain in a repeat of the 2020 showpiece.
Before they return to European action, the Reds have a busy domestic schedule, beginning with an FA Cup trip to Brighton on Sunday. Three league games will follow - against Wolves, Everton and Newcastle - before their first leg against Real Madrid at Anfield on February 21.