Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness has taken the side of Manuel Neuer amid the goalkeeper's public spat with Germany teammate Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
The row started when Ter Stegen expressed disappointment at Neuer being picked ahead of him for Germany's 2-0 win over Northern Ireland earlier this month.
Neuer hit back by insisting that the team came first, indicating that Ter Stegen's comments harmed team spirit, to which the latter provided another embittered response.
When asked about the situation, Hoeness told Sport1: "That's a joke. I think it is not okay how the Munich press deals with that topic. The press in western Germany supports Marc-Andre extremely. As if he had already won 17 World Championships.
"And I do not see support from the southern German press for Manuel. It is not okay to bring such a topic to the public.
"He [ter Stegen] has no claim to play. For the keepers it is different than for the other players, because you can't constantly switch."
Neuer, who received his international debut in 2009, has made 90 appearances in total for Die Mannschaft and was part of the side which won the 2014 World Cup.
Leo Nieboer
