Bayern Munich are threatening to boycott the German national team if goalkeeper Manuel Neuer loses the number one jersey, reports claim.
A row has erupted between the Bayern stopper and his rival for the starting spot between the posts in the German national side, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, and it appears to have escalated.
Barcelona goalkeeper Ter Stegen is unhappy with the lack of game time he has received in the national side, and a petty war of words has now broken out.
Bayern president Uli Hoeness is now said to have got involved and threatened to stop his players from linking up with the German side if Neuer is replaced by Ter Stegen.
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“Before that takes place, we won’t be sending any more national players,” the Bayern president has been quoted as saying in Sport Bild, after the Champions League match against Red Star Belgrade last week.
He added: “We will never accept that there will be a change here.”
However, such actions are not possible, and Bayern will be obliged to send players if they are called up.
When asked if he was afraid of a potential Bayern boycott, technical director of the German national football team Oliver Bierhoff replied: “No, because a club is obligated to release its players for international duty as per FIFA regulations.”
Germany have relied heavily on Bayern trio Serge Gnabry, Niklas Sule, Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich recently and if any kind of boycott was to happen it would hit the national side hard.
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