Bayern Munich facing scrutiny for players’ Ibiza party trip

BERLIN –

Bayern Munich players are being criticized for their short vacation in Ibiza, after they lost 3-1 to Mainz.

Bayern won its 10th consecutive title on April 23 with three rounds left. Then, it followed that up in Mainz with a disappointing performance on Saturday. Bavarian’s powerhouse was fortunate to not lose more as Mainz dominated the match four times.

Bayern was the same as Mainz, but mid-table Mainz only had pride to win.

Julian Nagelsmann, Bayern coach, remained firm in his commitment to giving his players Sunday off and Monday off. The majority of his players took advantage of this by going to Ibiza, Spain, to party with his friends.

Lothar Matthaus, a former Bayern legend, blasted the trip following the team’s disappointing showing in Mainz.

“It’s not on at all, especially after such a game,” Matthaus told Sky TV. “If I were Julian Nagelsmann, I would have taken tougher action – the days off would have been scrapped after such a game.”

Bayern is not at risk in its remaining Bundesliga matches. Nagelsmann has already indicated that he will rotate the squad and allow underused players to take part in the matches against Mainz Stuttgart Wolfsburg.

Mainz and Wolfsburg may have nothing to lose, but Stuttgart is fighting for relegation.

Pellegrino Matarazzo is just two points behind Arminia Bielefeld. Stuttgart is four points above Stuttgart, and could be dragged back to the relegation area.

Felix Magath, Hertha coach, had already raised questions about the professionalism of Bayern players following the league’s win.

“The season lasts until the final round. I don’t understand why a team would say that they are not playing to the final round of the season. They could instead have said, “Nah! We’re not playing to this end of the season. We’re going home three weeks earlier.” It doesn’t serve the Bundesliga nor the competition,” saidMagath, who was Bayern’s coach to cup doubles in 2005-2006.

Nagelsmann reacted to Magath’s statement after the loss in Mainz by saying it was “very clever of him. I doubt he would have done this completely unselfishly. I suggest he watch the game. I also don’t talk about Hertha’s performance.”

Magath took the initiative to double down on Bayern’s performance in Mainz and subsequent trip to Ibiza.

“I would never allow such a thing, something like that would never come into my mind,” Magath told the Bild tabloid on Sunday. ”Let’s see how it goes. It’s understandable to celebrate the title, but not for three weeks.”

Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzia on Sunday defended the trip, saying it had been agreed before the loss in Mainz as a “team-building measure.”

Salihamidzia saidIt should be assessed in light of the disappointing Champions League exit to Villarreal. He also rejected any doubts regarding the players’ attitudes to the remaining Bundesliga games.

“It’s absolutely clear that our players will give their all on Sunday against Stuttgart,” Salihamidzia said.