Bayern Munich Boss Denies Arturo Vidal Booze Claims, Defends Pep Guardiola

Bayern Munich's director of sport Mathias Sammer has threatened legal action over reports Arturo Vidal has an alcohol problem and defended Pep Guardiola's decision to coach Manchester City next season. (Bayern Munich's New Signing Serdar Tasci Concussed in First Training)

The worst kept secret in football was confirmed on Monday when the 45-year-old Guardiola announced he will replace Manuel Pellegrini at City in a deal reportedly worth more than £15 million ($21.5 million, 20 million euros) a year.

Sammer says the club will take action against claims Vidal was repeatedly drunk during their January training camp in Qatar and that the squad will pull together, despite Guardiola's news coming in the middle of an injury crisis.

The latest turn of events comes after an unnamed Bayern player told magazine Kicker last week that the spirit is "not good" in the star-studded squad after Guardiola demanded more professionalism from his players.

"Our coach is currently being made responsible for everything (by the media) and what is going on here at the moment isn't right," Sammer fumed to reporters in Wednesday's volatile press conference.

"Guardiola has never claimed to be perfect, but I am impressed with the intensity with which he lives and loves football.

"And I am asking for a bit more respect -- and not to make things so personal."

Magazine Sport Bild claims Vidal repeatedly left the team hotel in Doha, during last month's training camp, and was intoxicated on his return, something which Sammer furiously denied.

"Arturo is in very, very good form and I was surprised about what I read. It's not true, that much is clear," said Sammer after other German media also carried Sports Bild's claim.

"We have a very good, close relationship with Arturo and he himself has said there is no truth in it at all.

"Perhaps there are those trying every means (to stir up trouble) against FC Bayern to make the league more exciting.

"I can only say, you will achieve the opposite.

"We will just pull tighter together and become even more unified.

"In the case of Vidal, we will proceed by legal means."

Vidal took to Twitter to deny the allegations and says he has also instructed his lawyer to sue Sport Bild.

"I would like to say that the 'news' published today in a German newspaper are absolutely false," he wrote in a statement.

"My lawyers have already been instructed to initiate a legal claim against the newspaper, which will be responsible for their lies."