Bayern threaten Canada with legal action over Davies’ injury

MUNICH (AP):

BAYERN MUNICH are considering legal action against the Canadian football federation following Alphonso Davies’ serious knee injury in a match of little importance.

“We’re demanding a full investigation into the events from Canada and expressly reserve the right to take legal action,” Bayern chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen told the Bild tabloid yesterday.

Davies tore a ligament and sustained other damage in his right knee during Canada’s 2-1 win over the United States in the third-place decider for the Concacaf Nations League tournament on Sunday.

Davies returned to Munich where the full extent of the injury was determined on Wednesday. The left-back underwent surgery and “will be out for several months”, Bayern said.

The club is alleging that Canadian officials did not provide appropriate care for the player.

“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,” Dreesen said.

He said Davies should not have been playing at all.

“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 said.

Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund agreed, saying the treatment of Davies after his injury was “incorrect”.

“Phonzy complained of fatigue. He’s the team captain, a young lad who wants to help his country. Then there’s this injury,” Freund said. “I think it’s negligent, unprofessional.”

Davies is out for the rest of the season and will miss Bayern’s final games as they bid to wrap up the Bundesliga title and reach the Champions League final at their home stadium in Munich. Bayern face Inter Milan in the quarterfinals.

Bayern can claim some compensation for Davies’ salary from FIFA’s insurance policy covering national team players’ injury risk, up to US$7.5 million per case.

That programme began in 2012, a response to Dutch winger Arjen Robben’s injury at the 2010 World Cup. Robben missed six months after returning to Bayern.

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, who was Bayern and European Club Association chairman at the time, had lamented that Robben “came back in worse condition and now we have to pay the bill”.

Rummenigge urged FIFA to use some of its billion-dollar reserves from World Cup revenues to fund an insurance programme.

Salaries have increased in the meantime, however. Davies recently signed a new deal at Bayern with a reported salary of US$16.2 million.