Bayern Munich arrange ‘ambulance aircraft’ to fly Thomas Muller home from the Club World Cup on his own after they were forced to leave him in Qatar because of positive Covid test… but he is doing ‘pretty well’
- Thomas Muller contracted coronavirus in Bayern Munich’s Club World Cup bid
- The 31-year-old missed Thursday’s final with Tigres in Doha due to the virus
- Muller will fly to Germany in a special ambulance flight on Friday, say reports
- The forward will reportedly have no contact with the pilot or staff on board
- The rest of Bayern squad flew back to Munich earlier on Friday morning
Thomas Muller will reportedly fly home in a special ambulance aircraft organised by Bayern Munich on Friday after contracting coronavirus during his side’s Club World Cup campaign in Qatar.
The 31-year-old tested positive for the virus on Thursday and was ruled out of Bayern’s Club World Cup victory over Tigres that evening.
According to German newspaper BILD, Muller was told to stay in Doha while the rest of his Bayern team-mates flew home on Friday, with the forward travelling on a later flight in complete isolation from the pilot or staff on board.
Thomas Muller will reportedly fly home to Germany in a special ambulance aircraft on Friday after contracting coronavirus during Bayern Munich’s Club World Cup campaign in Doha
The rest of the Bayern Munich squad flew home on Friday morning after winning the cup
Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic is said to have stayed in Qatar to organise Muller’s route home while the rest of the club headed back to Munich.
The German forward is then expected to quarantine at home, meaning he is likely to miss Bayern’s upcoming fixtures.
Bayern Munich boss Hansi Flick confirmed that Muller is doing well despite the diagnosis, saying: ‘He’s a little tired, but that’s normal. When you get a diagnosis like that, a lot goes through your head. Otherwise he was doing pretty well.’
It is now likely that the positive reading will also see the German forward miss the club’s Champions League clash with Lazio this month on February 23.
Muller (right) will reportedly have no contact with the pilot or airline staff on his special flight
Muller is the latest Bayern star to test positive for Covid, with Javi Martinez and Leon Goretzka also contracting the virus last month.
Bayern sealed their sixth trophy in 12 months by winning the Club World Cup 1-0 thanks to Benjamin Pavard’s winner on the hour mark.
In the changing room after the match, Bayern’s players lifted up the shirts of the players who were unavailable to play in the final or make the trip to Doha – including those belonging to Muller, Martinez and Goretzka.
Bayern’s players paid tribute to absent friends after they won in Doha – including Muller
It also included defender Jerome Boateng, who was granted leave from the squad prior to the final following the death of his former girlfriend Kasia Lenhardt.
The 25-year-old was found dead by police at a luxury apartment thought to belong to Boateng in Berlin’s upmarket Charlottenburg neighbourhood on Tuesday night.
The couple had only split up last week. Lenhardt killed herself on her son Noah’s sixth birthday. Police say they are not treating her death as suspicious.
