Bayern confirms Musiala's neurological condition has been known for a year, rules him out of Supercup vs Dortmund

The sight of Jamal Musiala collapsing on the pitch in several matches in a row set off alarm bells in Munich. A week later, Bayern is trying to lower the temperature around the situation without downplaying it: the player has a neurological condition that has been known inside the club for some time, and that's why he won't be part of Saturday's German Supercup against Borussia Dortmund.

Head coach Vincent Kompany confirmed the news, explaining that Musiala is being left out of the squad because he's receiving additional medical attention these days, not because there's any new or unknown risk. The 23 year old player had already addressed the issue himself after the loss to Heidenheim, posting on Instagram that he had been diagnosed with "absence seizures caused by a neurological dysfunction," clarifying that there is no additional risk to his health and that he plans to keep playing as usual.

Sporting director Max Eberl went even further back, saying the club had known about this condition for at least a year. What changed in recent days, according to both Eberl and Kompany, was an adjustment to the treatment the player had been following, and that change brought side effects that led to the fainting episodes that alarmed teammates, opponents and fans alike.

Honorary president Uli Hoeness had called it a "drama" for the club just on Wednesday. However, both Eberl and Kompany struck a much calmer tone on Friday.

We've been dealing with this throughout last season. We worked with it, we managed it, and now it's a situation where a young man suddenly finds himself facing this out of nowhere, a situation we're helping him get through.Max Eberl

Kompany echoed that sentiment and called for calm amid the wave of speculation that erupted overnight.

The initial impact happened a while ago. Since then we've gathered a lot more information, understood the situation much better and made every decision based on the best possible advice from leading experts. We're well past the stage where this was a major topic of internal discussion.Vincent Kompany

The Belgian coach also revealed that he spoke directly with Musiala before making part of this information public, and that the player himself gave him the green light to explain what had happened. "Vinnie, it's fine, you can tell them," the player told him, according to Kompany, who stressed that trying adjustments to a treatment is a normal thing to do and that the goal now is to get back to how things were before, when Musiala went a long stretch without seizures and without anyone knowing anything about it.

Eberl was on the same page, explaining that the current work involves readjusting the medication under medical supervision, making clear that the main responsibility lies with the health professionals following the case. Kompany added that Musiala will train individually over the coming week.

Besides Musiala, Bayern will also be without Serge Gnabry and Lennart Karl for Saturday's match at Signal Iduna Park. Despite the absences, Kompany wants to open the season by lifting a trophy on the road.

It would be fantastic if we could win a title in Dortmund. Maybe it could have been with 50% of the fans there, that would have added a bit more of a final atmosphere, but winning a title away from home in Dortmund would also be really special.Vincent Kompany

The coach didn't hide his respect for the opponent: "The quality and power of the Dortmund team are high; there's no tougher opponent in the Bundesliga." Bayern, the defending champions, will then begin the defense of their league title on August 28 against Stuttgart, at home.