Bayern President Threatens Club Boycott of Germany National Team if Neuer Is Dropped
Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness has threatened to boycott his players from playing for the German national team if Manuel Neuer is dropped in favor of Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
A feud between the two players began when Ter Stegen - who was recently voted second behind Alisson Becker in FIFA's 'The Best' Awards - publicly revealed his disappointment at not being picked in the last round of international fixtures.
In response to this, Neuer admitted he felt that such statements were 'inappropriate'. However, the war of words was then exploded by Hoeness, who went on national TV to claim that 'there was no argument' as to who the better player was, and that Neuer would 'always be the best'.
And now, as revealed by Sport Bild, and relayed by Sport 1, further quotes from Hoeness have emerged, with the president threatening to stop his players joining up with Die Mannschaft if Bayern's No. 1 was usurped.
Asked before the club's Champions League clash against Red Star Belgrade about what would happen if his star was dropped by Joachim Low, Hoeness stated: "Before that takes place, we won't be sending any more national players.
"We will never accept that there will be a change here."
However, he then also rejected the idea of any further conversations with Low, explaining: "He'll already hear what we've said, his ears will ring."
But Germany's general manager, Oliver Bierhoff, has since batted away concerns about Hoeness' comments, replying: "No because a club is obligated to release its players for international duty as per FIFA regulations."
He later added that 'we all know we need each other' and that it was the coach that is 'solely responsible' for the call at the end of the day.
As for Low himself, he has reiterated that he won't let himself be 'influenced by something like that' and the Barca custodian is this expected to play a part in Germany's forthcoming fixtures in October.
