Bayern Munich civil war erupts as Oliver Kahn slams Uli Hoeness for calling Jamal Musiala's neurological illness and contract a dilemma

Former Bayern Munich chief executive Oliver Kahn has criticised honorary president Uli Hoeness over his public remarks regarding Jamal Musiala's neurological condition. The club icon hit out after his long-time colleague described the Germany international's lucrative contract situation and ongoing health issue as a problem for the hierarchy.

Kahn weighed in on the debate once Hoeness publicly linked Musiala's medical diagnosis with his wages and labelled the situation a "dilemma" for the German champions. Although the retired goalkeeper accepts that internal financial assessments of injured players are routine, he took exception to how the matter was framed externally. The disagreement has sparked fresh tension at the Allianz Arena over how the club handles the playmaker's recovery.

Taking to LinkedIn to address the controversy, the former boardroom chief argued that top-flight sides cannot abandon their values when a player falls ill: "He shouldn't act as though honouring a contract that the club itself signed is some extraordinary act of humanity. The club didn't just buy the player's output - it bought the risk along with it.

"Clubs love to call themselves a family. It becomes problematic when you talk about family as long as it doesn't cost anything, and start talking in numbers the moment it gets expensive."

While acknowledging that assessing long-term deals behind closed doors is necessary, he insisted empathy must remain central: "The decisive question is whether they can still translate that back [into human terms]. Do they still see the person behind the sidelined asset? Does the club stand by the player, or merely by his contract?

"It isn't cynical to ask these kinds of questions. Not asking them would be unprofessional."

The row began when Hoeness appeared on Bavarian broadcaster BR's Sonntags-Stammtisch programme and pointed out that the midfielder continues to collect his full salary while navigating uncharted medical territory.

Outlining the challenge facing the club's doctors on the show, Hoeness explained: "We are facing a dilemma in this case, as he is suffering from an illness that cannot simply be cured, but it can be controlled to a certain extent with the use of medication."

Given the physical demands of elite football, the veteran executive also warned that the attacker may never "regain the performance level he once had" before developing the condition.

Despite the boardroom debate, Bayern have pledged their full support to Musiala, with the Euro 2024 Golden Boot co-winner - who boasts 71 goals and 38 assists in 235 appearances - under contract until 2030. Sidelined since September by a separate hamstring injury, he recently returned to the training pitch. Carefully managing his workload will now be the priority as he bids to prove himself at Europe's highest level again.