:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65316446/1169542324.jpg.0.jpg)
The escalating drama surrounding the Manuel Neuer vs. Marc-André ter Stegen controversy reached a new level as Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness is threatening to stop sending his club’s players to Joachim Löw’s if Neuer is benched.
Per Sport Bild, Hoeness has had enough of the whole saga and would be willing to go to drastic measures to make his point that Neuer should remain Die Mannschaft’s starting goalkeeper. When asked by Sport Bild if this situation reminded him of Jens Lehmann replacing Oliver Kahn before the 2006 World Cup, Hoeness offered a stern response:
No. But we will never accept a change happening here. Before that happens, we won’t release players [for the national team] anymore.
Hoeness was not done there, however. When asked if he was going to communicate his stance to Löw, Hoeness made it clear that he would:
He’ll hear now everything that we’ve said before; his ears will ring.
Sport Bild then approached Germany national team manager Oliver Bierhoff about the statements made by Hoeness and Bierhoff indicated he was not concerned:
No. Especially since a club is obligated under the FIFA statutes to send its players.
While it seems highly unlikely that Hoeness would actually be able to follow through on his threat, the Bayern Munich boss is doing his best to apply public pressure on Löw to not cave in to Ter Stegen’s demands.