Oliver Kahn fires back at Bayern over Musiala: "Loyalty is not a contractual obligation!"

Oliver Kahn has taken aim at Bayern Munich's handling of Jamal Musiala's health situation, delivering a strong message about loyalty, responsibility and player welfare. Following Uli Hoeneß's recent doubts about whether the 23-year-old can ever return to his previous level, the former Bayern CEO has offered a different perspective.

"Contractual loyalty is not loyalty. It is an obligation," Kahn wrote in a LinkedIn post. He argued that a club's true commitment only becomes apparent when a player can no longer deliver on the pitch.

"Clubs like to call themselves families. The problem starts when they talk about family as long as it costs nothing, and switch to talking numbers as soon as it becomes expensive," the 57-year-old added.

Kahn went even further, insisting that fulfilling a contract should not be celebrated as an extraordinary gesture of goodwill. "A club should not pretend that honouring the contract it signed itself is an act of particular humanity. The club did not just buy the performance. It also bought the risk."

The former goalkeeper also drew parallels with Manuel Neuer's serious leg injury in December 2022. Bayern publicly stood behind their captain before signing Yann Sommer just six weeks later.

"Both messages reach the player. But the second one is always heard much louder," Kahn concluded.

Musiala remains under contract until 2030, but has endured a difficult period with injuries and neurological issues. Bayern have stressed that continuing his playing career remains medically justifiable.