Bayern should quickly resolve vaccination issue in the squad

After the 4-0 win against Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga four weeks ago, Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich addressed the media about his decision to not get vaccinated against COVID-19. The German midfielder insisted that he wanted to understand the long-term effects of the vaccine before taking one.

Kimmich’s thought process can be understandable, but his comments have certainly led to a lot of debate in the German media. The German midfielder has been heavily criticised for his stance. However, the Bavarian club has always respected the midfielder’s decision even though the institution has been a strong advocate of vaccination.

The debate regarding Kimmich’s decision has rumbled on. The German international had to quarantine during the international break since Niklas Sule was tested positive for COVID-19. While other players returned to training last week, Kimmich went again in quarantine since he was in contact with someone who had tested positive.

On Sunday, Die Roten confirmed that Serge Gnabry, Jamal Musiala, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, and Mickael Cuisance also went into quarantine after coming in contact with a staff member at the club that was tested positive for COVID-19. Few reports in Germany also speculated that these four players are other members of the squad that are yet to be vaccinated.

Throughout the weekend, further developments were reported in the German media about the club’s way of dealing with players in quarantine. As per Kicker, Die Roten will not be paying wages during the period of quarantine for the non-vaccinated players in the squad.

The policy is strange since vaccinated players can also contract covid and undergo quarantine. Niklas Sule and Josip Stanisic were vaccinated, but they had to undergo quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19 or coming in contact with someone who had contracted the virus.

The constant debate surrounding the situation of non-vaccinated players will definitely affect things in the dressing room. There were some suggestions in media that uproar to Kimmich’s interview did cause distraction after Die Roten suffered a 5-0 defeat against Gladbach in DFB Pokal.

Rekordmeister should look to resolve this situation and try to convince players to get vaccinated. Yes, it is a personal choice for every player, but considering the ill effects of the virus, vaccination is the way to go. With a long run of games coming up before the international break, the squad and Julian Nagelsmann will be hoping for a quick resolution on this topic.