Club to receive compensation after ex-Leeds United manager's decision and subsequent 'breach of duty'
Former Leeds United head coach Jesse Marsch and the Canadian Soccer Association have been criticised by FC Bayern Munich following the serious knee injury suffered by Canadian international Alphonso Davies.
The left-back sustained an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture during a recent Canada fixture leading the player's agent to accuse Canada Soccer of failing to prioritise the health of their players.
Marsch is alleged to have convinced Davies to play in Canada's Concacaf Nations League third-place play-off fixture versus the United States back in March, however, the defender was substituted after only 12 minutes having suffered the injury.
Davies' agent issued a statement in the aftermath of the incident, which read: "Alphonso was not 100% after the Mexico game and it was planned that he was not going to start against the USA.
“As a captain I feel he was pressured to start the game by the coach. Alphonso is not the kind of guy to say no in those moments. He ended up playing and look what happened. Canada Soccer needs to do a better job managing these players, in my opinion.”
Davies' club Bayern further criticised Canada Soccer for sending the player on a long-haul flight back to Germany supposedly before a thorough assessment of his injury could be undertaken.
"Sending an obviously injured player with a damaged knee on a twelve-hour intercontinental flight without a thorough medical assessment is, in our view, grossly negligent and a clear breach of medical duty of care," Bayern chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen said, as quoted by BBC Sport.
A 'detailed discussion' between representatives of the Munich club and Canada Soccer is now said to have taken place, via an official statement released by the Bundesliga champions.
"FC Bayern will be financially compensated by FIFA for the injury to Davies as part of the FIFA Club Protection Programme," it reads. "The amount of this compensation is yet to be determined. Dreesen has now announced that he will intensify contact with the national associations of contracted FC Bayern players in order to emphasise even more strongly the need to fulfil protection obligations in the event of injury."
How long has Marsch been in the Canada job?
Marsch has been in charge of the Canadian national team for just over a year, winning six of his 15 international fixtures in charge. Davies is an important player for the country, which will jointly host the FIFA World Cup next summer.