After the early end of the World Cup and his serious skiing accident, Manuel Neuer spoke for the first time in a detailed interview with the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” – and made statements that FC Bayern in the case of the dismissed goalkeeper coach Toni Tapalovic never made shine a good light. Tapalovic had already trained Neuer at FC Schalke and switched to FC Bayern together with him eleven and a half years ago. The Croatian is a good friend of the goalkeeper.
The news of the dismissal completely surprised the Munich captain: “For me it came out of nowhere. For Toni too. I didn’t understand it at all. It really blew me away,” said Neuer. “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 craziest thing I’ve experienced in my career. And I’ve really experienced a lot.”
The goalkeeper reports that some of those who were directly involved with Tapalovic cried: “Everyone in our goalkeeping group was torn apart, and people burst into tears.”
Above all, Neuer accuses Bayern of having no arguments to dismiss Tapalovic. In his opinion, the parties should have talked to each other before taking this step. “There was no reason that I could understand. Things were said that I don’t share. But I haven’t heard any arguments that rule out talking to each other and clarifying things.”
Asked about his future relationship with Nagelsmann, Neuer replied: “That means I exchange ideas with Julian and work with him professionally. We spoke openly, he knows how I feel about it. I protect our belongings and will never because I’m a team player and as a captain I have a special responsibility.”
Tapalovic was released in January. The fact that the club kicked him out of all places after Neuer broke his lower leg on a ski tour caused irritation. From the outside, it seemed as if those responsible, sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic and coach Julian Nagelsmann, were just waiting for the opportunity to get rid of Tapalovic.
Bayern rejected the accusation. The separation is said to have been planned for a long time. Nagelsmann justified the dismissal with the fact that “togetherness never came about in the way we imagine it to be, that’s why we took the step.” Unofficially, it is said that Tapalovic shared internal information from coaching sessions with the team. Neuer denies that.
Source: “Süddeutsche Zeitung”
