By Rune Gjerulff@runegjerulff

"They should be proud" – Bayern chief hits out at Schalke fans over Neuer abuse

Bayern chief Max Eberl has taken a swipe at the Schalke 04 fans who insulted and booed their former player Manuel Neuer during Saturday's game at the Veltins-Arena.

Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images

During what was most likely Manuel Neuer’s final game at the Veltins-Arena, the 40-year-old Bayern Munich goalkeeper was subjected to insults from sections of the Schalke 04 crowd and loud boos every time he touched the ball during Saturday's Bundesliga game between the two clubs.

Neuer came through Schalke’s youth ranks and established himself as a key player before ultimately leaving for Bayern in 2011 – a decision many supporters of the Gelsenkirchen club have never forgiven him for.

That resentment was evident once again during Saturday’s 0-0 draw – something Bayern board member for sport Max Eberl struggled to understand.

“They should be proud that they developed such a great player in their academy, who then went on to take steps into world football and become the world’s best goalkeeper and a world champion. Those kinds of insults are simply not appropriate,” Eberl said in a post-match interview, adding:

“You can boo because you're playing against Bayern, but there's no need for those kinds of insults.”

Neuer himself took the boos and insults calmly.

“Those are compliments, that’s love. Every boo, even when I touched the ball, was a compliment,” the Bayern captain told Sky.

“I played here for more than 20 years. It was a very emotional day and something very special.”