PR manager of Sadio Mane, Bacary Cisse, has alleged that Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sane used racial insults against Mane, sparking their heated confrontation in April 2023.
The clash between Mane and his former teammate Leroy Sane is believed to be a significant factor contributing to Bayern Munich’s decision to part ways with the latter.
Formally, the cause behind Mane’s altercation with Sane following Bayer’s 3-0 defeat against Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League in April 2023 remains undisclosed.
However, various reports suggest that Sane, who was born in Germany and is of Senegalese descent, directed racial slurs at Mane, prompting the latter to react uncharacteristically by striking Sane in the dressing room.
During an interview with After Foot RMC, Cisse chose not to delve into the specifics of the incident. Nevertheless, when questioned about whether Sane racially abused Mane, he provided the following response:
“Yes, indeed. I can’t enter certain details. That’s why I said there was ingratitude from Bayern’s part. It’s crazy. Everyone with a knowledge of European football knows that Sane is a very condescending guy, while Sadio is very calm and has shown that everywhere he played.
“Sane has exceeded the limits. Many wrong things were said about what happened. Many dirty things came out of the German press. They sided with Sane against Sadio. They said Sadio was fined €500k, which is a lie,” he said, as quoted by the Daily Mail UK.
Cisse disclosed that Sane later apologised and pleaded for a response from Mane through some of the teammates.
‘Sane apologised to Sadio after the incident. Why? Because he knew it was him who f* up. He called some players and told them: “I sent a text to Sadio, tell him to respond”.
‘Sadio responded and accepted his apology, but told him that shouldn’t happen again.’
Sadio Mane has departed Bayern after completing a move to Al Nassr in a deal worth £34 million.
According to Cisse, Mane’s departure from Bayern was not for footballing reasons.
“It wasn’t a football decision (to sell him),’ he said. ‘Sadio’s salary bothered the Germans, they didn’t understand how an African joins the club and becomes the top earner ahead of everyone, so they wanted to get rid of him.”
“They never called the player’s representatives. They never told Sadio face-to-face that they wanted to get rid of him. They just sent (Thomas) Tuchel to tell him that he will be a third-choice left winger.”
“Sadio has nothing to prove to the Germans. He didn’t become what he’s become thanks to Bayern. It was thanks to Liverpool. Bayern were ungrateful. They were paying an African all this money, and that hurt them.”
Bayern manager, Thomas Tuchel speaking on Mane’s departure, admitted that the Senegalese left on an unwanted note.
“Leaving Bayern hurts me. I would have wished for a different ending. We had a long, big hug, and we both agreed that we don’t like what’s happening now, but we think it’s for the best in this situation,” He told Sky Germany.
“Sometimes things don’t work out as everybody wants it to work out. In person, I have always had a very good relationship with him, and this will stay. I can totally understand that he feels hurt and I also wouldn’t feel happy if things like this happened.
Obviously, it’s something that we didn’t bring to its full potential, which is my job and my responsibility, but in this particular situation, it was the best solution to untie the knot.
On another note, Sadio Mane’s transfer to Saudi Arabia has elevated him to the status of the highest-earning African footballer, receiving a weekly income of £661,000 and an annual tax-free salary of £34.37 million at Al Nassr.