Manuel Neuer could receive a massive fine for his comments regarding Bayern Munich sacking their goalkeeping coach.

The 36-year-old star recently spoke with The Athletic about the firing. Head BILD reporter Christian Falk has claimed that Neuer may be hit with a massive $1.7 million sanction for the scathing interview.

In the interview, German journalist Raphael Honigstein initially asked Neuer about his recent skiing accident.

The goalkeeper was ruled out for the remainder of the season due to a leg fracture while on the slopes. Honigstein inquired about a possible mental toll on such an injury.

Neuer, however, opted to comment on the coach’s firing.

“No. But some other things really knocked the stuffing out of me. That was worse than what happened to me physically,” stated Neuer.

Keeper, coach had close relationship while at club

Neuer was apparently extremely close with long-time Bayern goalkeeping coach Toni Tapalovic. The two had been working together since 2011, when both Germans joined the club.

However, Bayern fired Tapalovic in January because of differences with other staff members.

“That blow hit me extremely hard,” Neuer said of the sacking. “Toni was always a team player with us, everyone saw it that way. He wasn’t working for me for eleven and a half years, but for the entire goalkeeper group, for the coaching staff and for the club. We were always able to separate work and private life.”

“I understand that it might sound like I’m not being objective or not believable, but I can really tell the difference. For me, that was a blow — when I was already down on the ground. I felt like my heart was being ripped out. It was the most brutal thing I’ve experienced in my career. And I’ve experienced a lot.”

Large fine is one month’s salary for Neuer

Now Bayern apparently have an option to fine Neuer up to $1.7 million for the comments. The exact amount of money players can be sanctioned for similar offenses depends on their contracts.

Players can be fined one month’s salary by the club for violating contract stipulations. $1.7 million comes out to about a month’s worth of salary for Neuer.

Former Bayern captain Philipp Lahm was previously fined €50,000 in 2010 for remarks comparable to Neuer’s recent comments. Lahm’s sanction is still the largest fine for a player in Bayern’s history.

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