Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich demanded an explanation from Canada team officials on Friday after defender Alphonso Davies suffered a ligament tear on international duty that has put him out of the German club’s crucial season finale.
The 24-year-old was forced off early in Canada’s 2-1 win over the U.S. in the Concacaf Nations League third-place playoff on Sunday.
“It is bitter for us and the way it happened is just not correct,” Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund told a press conference. “We want to know what exactly happened.”
Freund said Davies had complained of fatigue after Canada’s prior game but still played.
“He is the captain, a young man who wanted to help his team but it was borderline,” he said.
“The second issue is the injury after 12 minutes. Then Phonzy [Alphonso] flies back on a 12-hour flight and we all assume it is not a serious injury but then we have this,” Freund said of the discovery he had an ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) tear in his right knee.
“That is sloppy. It is not professional and we need to talk and clear it up. We are the employers, we pay the players, so we will be looking into what happened.”
There was no immediate response from the Canada team.
Davies was one of two players, along with Dayot Upamecano, who returned from international duty with France injured. Upamecano will be sidelined for several weeks with a knee injury.
Both will miss Bayern’s Champions League quarterfinal against Intern Milan next month.
Bayern, who host St Pauli in the league on Saturday, have gone two games without a Bundesliga victory and their lead over second-placed Bayer Leverkusen has been cut to six points.
Coach Vincent Kompany said his team had enough quality to fill the absences and there were would be no excuses.
“It is a pity first of all for Phonzy and Upamecano, who cannot be with us at this crucial period of the season,” he said.
“This season we had to compensate for other absences. Hopefully it will bring the group tighter together … The reaction is what’s important. There are no excuses for me. Just to win the next game and keep improving.”
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