Bayern Munich, which had harshly criticized the Korean national team by calling them 'employers', is showing the worst management of players. Kim Min-jae is one of the most notable victims.

On the 1st (Korea time), TZ reported that "Bayern Munich is currently facing serious criticism regarding the management of injured players. Allegations have been raised that the medical team led by Walter Gruefler is returning injured players to training too early."

Bavarian Football Works reported on the 31st of last month that "Munich's injury crisis is deepening," noting that "Kim Min-jae has been struggling with an Achilles issue, which is why he could not play for the national team during the A-match period. He was also expected to rest in the German Bundesliga match." However, contrary to local expectations, Kim Min-jae started in the match against St. Pauli. The media noted that "unfortunately, Kim Min-jae's body was not in good shape. Another reason emerged for him to need rest," adding that "it was a situation where he had no choice but to play. Kim Min-jae played despite having a cold, and now he has developed back issues due to coughing," expressing concern over his physical condition.

On the 29th (Korea time), Bayern Munich won 3-2 against St. Pauli in the 27th round of the 2024-2025 Bundesliga held at their home ground, Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany. With this victory, Bayern Munich continued to lead the Bundesliga with 65 points. Upon returning from injury, Kim Min-jae paired with Eric Dier as center-backs, while Jonas Urbig, Kim Min-jae, Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, Harry Kane, Leroy Sane, Dier, Michael Olise, Rafael Guerreiro, Konrad Laimer, and Jamal Musiala were fielded in the best eleven. Currently, Bayern Munich's defense line is in tatters due to injuries. Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is out indefinitely due to a calf injury. Alfonso Davies has also suffered a severe injury with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament. To make matters worse, Kim Min-jae's partner, Dayo Upamecano, is out for at least three months with a knee injury. Ultimately, an unfit Kim Min-jae returned early to carry out a solo defensive role, which directly contradicts Bayern's recent policy of prioritizing player protection, especially after establishing their stance with national teams. In fact, shortly after his release from the A-match call-up, German media reported that Kim Min-jae would not return until early April for management reasons.

In fact, Kim Min-jae has been struggling with a hamstring issue since October. Ultimately, ahead of the March A-match call-up, his injury worsened, and he could not come to Korea. Coach Hong Myung-bo expressed regret, stating that there is an issue with Bayern Munich's player protection after hearing about Kim Min-jae's condition.

Kim Min-jae has essentially started to 'hold out alone' as even Hiroki Ito, who came on from the bench, collapsed due to injury. Bayern Munich substituted Kim Min-jae in, which was a natural decision from the 'employer' standpoint. Benefiting from pressure from Korean media, Bayern Munich has shown signs of overexertion. Due to team circumstances, they decided to field Kim Min-jae, who is not at 100%, as they have no other players available due to multiple injuries. Bayern Munich, which has insisted on player protection when national teams are involved, is arguing that "we are the employers who pay salaries to the players." Bayern has also clashed with the Canadian Football Association regarding Davis's injury. While they did win on this occasion, Bayern felt the significant absence of their defensive line. On the day, Bayern showed decent attacking power with Kane scoring in the 17th minute of the first half and Sane netting a brace in the 8th and 26th minutes of the second half. In terms of offensive capability, they were not bad at all. However, defense was an issue. The absence of starting defenders was felt during St. Pauli's first attack, and they notably allowed a goal during a counterattack in the 26th minute of the first half. The position on the left flank, where Davies was absent, was poorly defended by Guerreiro, who failed to prevent the opponent from making an easy cross. In the ensuing situation, Kim Min-jae could not make a cut, and Dier failed to maintain the offside line, allowing Elias Saad to score an equalizing goal. If Upamecano had been in for Dier, he might have been able to respond more quickly. Of course, Kim Min-jae, Ito, and Josip Stanisic returned earlier than expected. The problem is that it has become common for injuries to recur when players are not fully recovered. Most decisions about player returns are made by manager Vincent Kompany, and it is said to be rare for the medical team to oppose those decisions. As the number of players being fielded without fully recovering, like Kim Min-jae, increases, concerns about the club’s injury management system are rising.

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