German soccer club Bayern Munich have threatened to sue Canada Soccer in the aftermath of Alphonso Davies’ ACL tear, suffered during the latest international window.
In the 12th minute of Canada’s 2-1 CONCACAF Nations League third-place match victory over the United States on March 23, Davies was subbed out of the game after falling to the ground holding his knee in the minutes prior.
“We’re demanding a full investigation into the events from Canada Soccer and expressly reserve the right to take legal action,” said Bayern Chief Executive Jan-Christian Dreesen.
Bayern Munich alleges negligence from Canada’s medical staff, citing that the full extent of Davies’ injury wasn’t known until he returned to Germany where club officials examined his knee. The club claims that Canada Soccer didn’t provide proper care for Davies, who, in the eyes of Bayern, shouldn’t have even been playing in the match given his questionable status before kickoff.
“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,” said Dreesen. “The participation of Davies, who already had muscular problems before the game, in a match of no sporting significance is incomprehensible.”
However, Canada Soccer officials released a statement shortly thereafter, refuting Dreesen’s claims and citing that the association followed proper medical protocols.
“Medical documentation confirms that proper care protocols were followed, and communication records show that our medical staff provided updates to Bayern Munich throughout the entire tournament. We spoke further with Bayern Munich today to provide them with context and details to address any misunderstandings,” read the statement. “We are all focused on supporting Alphonso in the months ahead.”
While there isn’t an exact timetable detailing how long Davies will be sidelined, officials expect that he “will be out for several months.”
Bayern Munich, who are currently first in the Bundesliga standings and face Inter Milan in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League, will be without their star left-back for the rest of the season, adding to the frustration.
Under FIFA’s insurance policy that covers players who are injured while playing for their national team, Bayern can claim some compensation due to Davies’ injury, up to $7.5 million USD per case.
The Canadian squad, on the other hand, will be without their captain for June’s Canadian Shield Tournament and CONCACAF Gold Cup, as the team prepares to host next summer’s World Cup after what’s been a scandalous couple of years for the organization.
Ahead of last summer’s Paris Olympics, the Canadian women’s team were deducted six points after being caught “spying” on opposing teams using a drone. The incident forced the firing of then-head coach Bev Priestman and left concern around the integrity of the men’s team due to their coaching ties with John Herdman, who served as a coach of both the men’s and women’s squads.
Canada Soccer also faced governance concerns in the early 2020s as their business deal with a private company called Canada Soccer Business halted the revenue flow into the organization, which in turn affected the growth of the sport at both the competitive and grassroot levels.
While Canada Soccer hopes that Davies’ injury and the subsequent reaction from Bayern Munich is just a blip in the road, further question marks surround the integrity of the organization before the biggest moment in Canada’s soccer history is set to take place in 14 months’ time.
For more information on Alphonso Davies, visit canadasoccer.com.