Bayern Munich threaten legal action against Canada after Alphonso Davies suffers season-ending injury

Independent

28-03-2025

Bayern Munich has threatened legal action against Canada after Alphonso Davies suffered a serious knee injury while on international duty.
Davies tore a ligament in his right knee as Canada beat the United States 2-1 to seal a third-place finish in the CONCACAF Nations League.
The left-back has since returned to Germany to undergo surgery and will be out of action for several months - a hammer blow to Bayern 's season as their mounting injury crisis worsens.
However, the Bavarian giants are now alleging that the Canada setup did not provide appropriate care for the player.
"We're demanding a full investigation into the events from Canada Soccer and expressly reserve the right to take legal action," Bayern chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen told Bild.
"Sending a clearly injured player with a damaged knee on a 12-hour intercontinental flight without a thorough medical assessment is, in our view, grossly negligent and a clear breach of medical duty of care'
Bayern also believe that Davies should not have been playing at all due to pre-existing fitness problems, with Canada putting the 24-year-old at unnecessary risk of derailing his recovery.
"The participation of Davies, who already had muscular problems before the game, in a match of no sporting significance is incomprehensible from our point our view," Dreesen added.
This was the view echoed by Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund, who blasted Canada for their negligence.
Freud said: "Phonzy complained of fatigue. He's the team captain, a young lad who wants to help his country. Then there's this injury. I think it's negligent, unprofessional."
Davies was not the only Bayern casualty of the international break, with Dayot Upamecano also returning from Nations League duty with a knee injury, albeit a less serious one.
Upamecano went through the ringer with France, playing the entirety of their quarter-final return leg against Croatia on Sunday, including extra time, in which he scored the winning penalty in the shootout.
After racking up a 128-minute appearance under his belt, Upamecano joins Davies on the treatment table upon his return to Bavaria.
This puts extra strain on Vincent Kompany 's defensive options, with South Korean centre-back Kim Min-jae already out with an Achilles issue.
Bayern face a nervy end to the campaign as they look to preserve their position at the top of the Bundesliga over the next eight games.
But after a dip in form saw their 12 point advantage over chasing Bayer Leverkusen drop to six, a fresh injury crisis at the back is the last thing Kompany needs as Bayern look to reclaim the Meisterschale this term.