After sending the German media into a frenzy over his latest comments on the row between Manuel Neuer and Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Bayern Munich President Uli Hoeness has now backpedaled on his hardline stance from a few days ago.
German publication Spiegel have now featured a statement from Bayern's front office which said the following:
Immediately after our CL game against Belgrade Mr. Hoeness made statements concerning the discussions over the number 1 on the national team that he would not, in hindsight, make today. The matter has long since been settled for him, and there are no further statements of his concerning it.
Eagle-eyed readers will note the lack of anything resembling an apology, but it's a clear attempt at deescalation by Bayern Munich and its president, which would probably be best for all parties involved. Manuel Neuer and the rest of Bayern's German contingent can't have been pleased by Uli's threat to the DFB given the potential repercussions from FIFA.
Does this mean the end of the war of words? Probably not. It was the DFB's job to nip this feud in the bud long before this point, but they have failed at every opportunity. It's a testament to the mismanagement in Germany's premier footballing organization that the national team's second-choice goalkeeper had to take his grievances to the media just to have his voice heard. The fact that Ter Stegen could not get this issue sorted internally makes the dysfunction at the DFB abundantly clear.
For his part, Hoeness likely doesn't care about the controversy his statements cause, as long as he remains at the center of attention and Bayern's players can continue their match preparations without media interference. The media are hungry dogs, and Uli was just distracting them with a bone. He's retiring soon anyway — what does it matter to him?