Uli Hoeneß says Bayern Munich knew of Jamal Musiala’s health problems before repeated episodes

Uli Hoeneß has revealed that Bayern Munich were aware of health problems affecting Germany midfielder Jamal Musiala before he suffered two similar episodes on the pitch within four days.

Musiala collapsed without any contact during Bayern’s 3-1 friendly win over RB Leipzig on Saturday, just minutes after coming on as a substitute and scoring his side’s third goal. A similar incident occurred again during Tuesday’s 4-2 victory over 1. FC Heidenheim.

The 22-year-old subsequently said doctors had diagnosed him with temporary, treatable neurological disorders and that there were no serious health risks.

However, Hoeneß, Bayern’s honorary president, said the second incident had left him deeply shocked.

“What happened to Musiala for the second time within a few days really shocked me,” Hoeneß told Sky Sport Germany. “I was speechless, and that rarely happens to me. I go to bed thinking about Jamal, and I wake up in the morning thinking about him. We support Jamal without reservation.”

Hoeneß said Bayern had known for some time that Musiala had experienced certain problems, although they had never previously appeared during a match or training session at the club.

“It is a tragedy, especially for Jamal,” he said. “There had been some signs that there were problems, but they had never happened to him at the club before. Now, with the two incidents on Saturday and yesterday, this has become, first and foremost, an issue for Jamal as a person, as well as for the club in the medium term.

“We are all speechless. We were not prepared for this. We will have to learn how to deal with the situation.”

Hoeneß rejected criticism that Bayern should have allowed Musiala more time away from training and competitive action before his return. He said medical specialists had given the player written clearance to perform at the highest level.

“The specialists, and the neurologists treating him, confirmed to us in writing that, in their opinion, there was nothing preventing Jamal from taking part in high-level sport,” Hoeneß said. “Since then, we have been sleeping a little better at night. But now, to be honest, we have to get used to this new situation. I am speechless.”

Bayern had expected the medication Musiala was taking to help if the problem did not recur quickly.

“We expected that if the same thing did not happen again soon, the medication he was taking would help,” Hoeneß added. “But when it happened again after four days, in exactly the same way, I was astonished.”

He also said Bayern had not clearly understood the nature of Musiala’s problems before the World Cup.

“There had been some signs, but he was training and playing matches,” Hoeneß said. “But I do not know whether these problems affected his performances, or whether that was because of his ankle problems.”

Musiala’s decision to speak publicly about his condition followed an agreement with Bayern’s management. Hoeneß said a meeting took place on Monday involving sporting director Max Eberl, Musiala, his agent and two team doctors.

“They agreed that if the incident from Saturday happened again, Jamal would speak about it publicly,” Hoeneß said. “That is what happened yesterday.”