20 April 2023 , 08:57
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Sadio Mane's issue with Leroy Sane stemmed from a "rift inside the club" according to Arsene Wenger.
The Bayern Munich pair have clashed over the past week, with the former Liverpool man hitting his team-mate after their defeat to Manchester City last week. The Senegalese star was then fined a six-figure sum by the club following his actions, which left Sane with a bloody lip.
On Wednesday night Sane came off at the Allianz Arena during the second-half to be replaced by Mane, who is still trying to hit top form in Bavaria after joining them in the summer. Wenger is of the opinion that there was issues within the Bayern camp, which manifested itself as the duo came to blows.
He told BeIN Sports : "There is a rift in the team and the management inside the club has to sort it out. The only way to sort this problem out is communication. You have to create the trust and the communication inside the dressing room. Most of the time when you have this problem with two players, you take them into the office and you explain to them that 'we cannot be successful if the players inside the team do not cooperate well together'."
Bayern's hopes of winning the treble have slipped away since Thomas Tuchel replaced Julian Nagelsmann in what was a sudden change in the dugout. The former Chelsea boss has only won two of his first six games which has seen the Bavarians get dumped out of the German Cup and the Champions League.
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Tuchel, when addressing the incident between Sane and Mane, maintained that the Senegal star was a "top professional" but admitted such antics cannot go unpunished.
Leroy Sane and Sadio Mane clashed in the first-leg loss (Offside via Getty Images)He said: "I've known Sadio for many years - he is a top professional. He's never had a situation like that. He is focused on football, he has my full confidence. Everybody has the right to make a mistake. This was too much - he apologised and I believe him. It was important that he stays in training, but he is suspended and he will be fined.
"I don't know where the money will go, the club and the player will decide. It is not my highest priority. It would be nice if things that happened in the locker room stayed in there. We don't need situations like that to prove our squad is alive. We don't tolerate things like that."
Reflecting on the situation, former Champions League winner Rio Ferdinand confessed he wasn't shocked given the heightened emotions. He told BT Sport: “That’s football, I’m not surprised at all. I know it makes headlines but if something doesn’t go right on the football pitch, questions get asked, sometimes arms get raised, voices go to a higher pitch and that is part and parcel."