French forward Franck Ribery has been called to order by Bayern Munich over his criticism of the club’s former coach Pep Guardiola as well as his conduct on the pitch.
Ribery, currently with Bayern on their pre-season tour of the United States, has described Guardiola as inexperienced and repeatedly compared him unfavourably to his successor at Bayern, Carlo Ancelotti.
His comments drew a sharp response from Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
“I think there is no point in having a go at Pep Guardiola now that he has gone. We won a lot with him, we gained a lot from him. Seeking vengeance now serves no purpose,” Rummenigge told Bavarian television channel BR.
Ancelotti, 57, has replaced Guardiola, now with Manchester City, as Bayern coach for the 2016/17 season and Ribery, who had a tense relationship with the Spaniard, has been quick to praise the Italian.
In the magazine Sport Bild, Ribery accused Guardiola of lacking experience despite winning 14 titles in four years with Barcelona and seven trophies in three years with Bayern.
“He is still a young coach. He lacks experience. Sometimes he talks too much, football is very simple,” the 33-year-old Frenchman told the magazine.
Ribery’s strained ties with Guardiola during his time at Bayern were no secret and he said he now feels “motivated and liberated” again on the pitch.
But earlier Saturday he came under fire from Ancelotti over his conduct in his team’s 4-1 win over Inter Milan in their friendly in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Ancelotti upbraided Ribery during the first half of the game, telling him to calm down after he was seen engaging in a running dispute with his Inter opposite number Felipe Melo.
“I don’t like players who behave in that way. I told him that he had better put a stop to it,” Ancelotti told journalists after the match.