Amorim after his shocking claim about Man United: ‘I won’t promise I won’t do it again’
Amorim after his shocking claim about Man United: ‘I won’t promise I won’t do it again’/node/2587411/sport
Amorim after his shocking claim about Man United: ‘I won’t promise I won’t do it again’
Manchester United’s head coach Ruben Amorim follows the game during their English Premier League match against Brighton and Hove Albion, at the Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP)
Amorim after his shocking claim about Man United: ‘I won’t promise I won’t do it again’
“If you want, I can be delusional and say different things,” Amorim said
Amorim’s shocking comment came after a 3-1 home loss to Brighton in the Premier League on Sunday
Updated 22 January 2025
AP
MANCHESTER: Ruben Amorim has acknowledged he might have made a mistake when he went public in describing his team as “the worst, maybe, in the history of Manchester United.”
Just don’t expect him to hold back his opinions going forward.
“If you want, I can be delusional and say different things,” Amorim said Wednesday at his first news conference since his remark that captured headlines and widespread attention.
“I say it as I saw it. I said it to the players and I said to you,” he told reporters. “I think it’s a good thing to be honest. If you want me to say different things — you saw one thing, I saw one thing — I can start to do that. It’s easier for me. But what I’m seeing, they know. If you are in the stadium, you can understand. Let’s face it and work on it.”
Amorim’s shocking comment came after a 3-1 home loss to Brighton in the Premier League on Sunday.
Rúben Amorim on saying this is the worst Man United team ever: “I was talking more about myself than for my players. I’m talking more about me than the players”.
“Every time you push about the players not being good enough, I take the spotlight away from my players”. pic.twitter.com/mQO4ndjlR2
It was a fourth loss in United’s last five home games in the league, and a seventh defeat in 15 games in all competitions since Amorim took charge in November as the replacement for Erik ten Hag.
United, the record 20-time English champion, are 13th in the 20-team Premier League and closer to the relegation zone than the European qualification spots after 22 of 38 games.
Amorim denied that he was shifting blame toward his players. The 39-year-old Portuguese coach said: “I am (most) responsible for the performances and the results.
“I am a young guy and sometimes I make a mistake. This time I needed to talk. Maybe it was a mistake and I get more nervous and go to the (media) conference really nervous, and then you say things you shouldn’t say … I won’t promise I won’t do it again but I will try to improve.”
Amorim was speaking ahead of United’s Europa League game against Scottish rival Rangers at Old Trafford on Thursday. He said his players were “more nervous” and “anxious” playing at home and that was making it harder for the team to pick up results.
“If you have a little inexperience when you fall into this type of context, it’s hard to go up — especially when you are in a massive club,” Amorim said.
“That was my only point in saying it after that loss. The way I do it? Maybe not but it is what it is. I am like that all the time.”
Blind tennis champion Naqi Rizvi lobbies for sport’s awareness and Paralympic inclusion
Invented in Japan by Takei Miyoshi in 1984, blind tennis is played around the world
Rizvi, who is married and works in finance, originally represented his native Pakistan
Updated 24 May 2025
AP
LONDON: Naqi Rizvi loves the “absolute freedom” he feels on the tennis court. Winning titles is fun, too.
The 34-year-old blind tennis champion is on a mission to not only raise awareness but also elevate the sport into the Paralympics.
“That would be the dream, and I’d love to be the first Paralympic champion if I can,” Rizvi said.
The London resident, fully blind from the age of 7 because of congenital glaucoma, only took up the sport a decade ago and is now the No. 1-ranked men’s player in the world for his category.
Also an avid runner, Rizvi has completed two marathons and although jogging with a guide is great, tennis offers more.
“On a tennis court, I have absolute freedom because I know where the boundaries are, no one needs to tell me which way to turn, I don’t need to have a cane or anything of this sort,” he told The Associated Press during a practice session at the National Tennis Center in southwest London.
Blind tennis champion Naqi Rizvi and his wife Zara attend a visually impaired tennis training session in London on May 20, 2025. (AP)
“It’s just the absolute sense of freedom to know that I can run comfortably, make my own decisions, and then be able to play points or rallies. It’s just incredible.”
HOW IT WORKS
The rules are basically the same as mainstream tennis just with smaller dimensions and slightly lower net. Tactile lines are taped onto the court so players like Rizvi can feel the boundaries. Depending on the level of visual impairment, you are allowed up to three bounces of the ball. The foam ball contains a bell so players can audibly track it.
“What I find interesting about blind tennis is it’s incredibly technical,” said Rizvi, who also possesses a big serve.
Blind tennis champion Naqi Rizvi serves the ball during a visually impaired tennis training session in London on May 20, 2025. (AP)
The problem-solving aspect of the sport is something Rizvi enjoys — no surprise given that he studied engineering at University College London.
“You really need to anticipate after you’ve heard the first bounce where the second and third will be,” he said. “You obviously can’t see how your opponent has hit the ball, so it’s a lot of anticipation and a lot of practice and getting used to different trajectories that the ball can take.
RAISING AWARENESS
Rizvi didn’t even know that tennis was an option until he visited Metro Blind Sport in London a decade ago. He was hooked right away.
“I can almost assure you that if you did a survey of blind and partially sighted people,” he said, “the majority of them wouldn’t have any idea because it’s not televised, it’s not in any other mainstream events, so how are people supposed to find out?”
Blind tennis champion Naqi Rizvi plays a shot during a visually impaired tennis training session in London on May 20, 2025. (AP)
The Lawn Tennis Association supports a visually impaired program that includes practice sessions at the governing body’s National Tennis Center. That’s where Jack Draper, the world No. 5 player, tried out the different levels. The LTA also runs tournaments each year and sends “Team GB” to an international competition.
Rizvi noted that there’s not much financial backing in the sport. There’s no prize money at tournaments and players often fund their own travel.
“Unless you obviously have the visibility and the money behind it, it’s really hard,” he said. “Governing bodies need to take a more active role and try and give parity to all forms of disability tennis not just the ones that have made it big like wheelchair tennis, for example.”
PARALYMPICS AND GRAND SLAM EVENTS
Rizvi, who is married and works in finance, originally represented his native Pakistan but for the past year has been part of England’s program since gaining British citizenship. He discussed his childhood — his father is Pakistani and his mother is Indian — in a TEDx Talk he gave as a student at UCL.
Invented in Japan by Takei Miyoshi in 1984, blind tennis is played around the world. Last year’s world championships in Italy were the largest to date with 117 players from 20 countries, the International Blind Tennis Association said.
Blind tennis champion Naqi Rizvi and tennis coach Lee Neale walk on court during a visually impaired tennis training session in London on May 20, 2025. (AP)
Rizvi has won several national titles, a European championship, the world championship in 2023 — as well as gold that year at the ISBA World Games. He is also the two-time defending champion of the Play Your Way to Wimbledon tournament.
The International Paralympic Committee handbook spells out that the sport or discipline must be “widely and regularly practiced” in at least 32 countries and three continents.
“I really want it to be in the Paralympics,” Rizvi said, “but I also want this to be a mainstream sport which can be part of the ATP Tour, part of Grand Slam tournaments, just like wheelchair tennis has made such amazing leaps forward. I’d love for blind tennis to be there as well because it’s definitely got the potential.
“It’s got the countries, the continents, the people, the passion behind it.”
Pacers take 2-0 lead over Knicks as Pascal Siakam scores 39 points in 114-109 victory
Myles Turner added 16 points and Tyrese Haliburton had 14 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds for the Pacers, who head home halfway to their second trip to the NBA Finals
No team has lost the first two games at home and come back to win a series in the conference finals
Updated 24 May 2025
AP
NEW YORK: Pascal Siakam scored a playoff career-high 39 points, and the Indiana Pacers beat the New York Knicks 114-109 on Friday night for a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.
Myles Turner added 16 points and Tyrese Haliburton had 14 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds for the Pacers, who head home halfway to their second trip to the NBA Finals. They lost to the Lakers in 2000 in their only shot at the title.
Game 3 is Sunday in Indiana, though the Pacers might prefer to keep it right where it is. They have won six straight road games since falling at Milwaukee in Game 3 of the first round.
Siakam finished 15 for 23 from the field on a night nobody else on the high-scoring Pacers had more than five baskets.
“Special game,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “In the first half he was the guy that got us going and got us through some difficult stretches.”
Jalen Brunson had 36 points and 11 assists for the Knicks, who need a quick turnaround or their first appearance in the conference finals in 25 years will be a brief one. They defended much better after their crushing collapse in a 138-135 overtime loss in Game 1, but couldn’t find enough scoring to come back after a bad start to the fourth quarter.
Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns each had 20 points and seven rebounds for the Knicks, but Towns played just 28 minutes as coach Tom Thibodeau went longer with backup Mitchell Robinson, a much better defender who grabbed nine rebounds.
No team has lost the first two games at home and come back to win a series in the conference finals.
“Going into the fourth quarter it’s a tie ballgame. We’ve just got to make better plays, more winning plays,” Thibodeau said.
It was tied at 81 after three, before the Pacers opened the fourth with a 13-4 run to move ahead 94-85 on Siakam’s 3-pointer with 9:17 remaining. They would quickly push the margin back to around there every time the Knicks got any momentum, and it was 110-100 after another basket by Siakam with 2:45 to play.
The Knicks scored nine straight to make it 110-109 on Josh Hart’s basket with 14 seconds to go. Aaron Nesmith made two free throws for the Pacers, Brunson was well off on a 3-point attempt and Turner finished it out with two free throws.
The 50th playoff meeting between the rivals — the Pacers lead 28-22, all since 1993 — more closely resembled their defensive battles of the 1990s than the shootout of two nights earlier. The Knicks led that one by 14 with 2:45 to play before the Pacers caught them on Haliburton’s jumper as time expired and won it in OT.
This time, Indiana raced to a 19-9 lead, but the Knicks quickly caught them when Robinson and Deuce McBride entered and the game remained within a single-digit margin nearly the entire rest of the night.
Arsenal seek to defy the odds against mighty Barcelona in women’s Champions League final
Manager Renee Slegers believes her disciplined side can triumph over the Catalan giants of women’s football, who are the strong favorites to win their fourth European title
Alessia Russo: They (Barca) are a really good football team, but we are here to win
Updated 24 May 2025
Reuters
LISBON: Arsenal will bid to defy the odds against Barcelona in Saturday’s women’s Champions League final in Lisbon, aiming to secure their second title with courage and underrated defiance.
Manager Renee Slegers believes her disciplined side can triumph over the Catalan giants of women’s football, who are the strong favorites to win their fourth European title.
“We want to show courage tomorrow. We respect Barca as a team. They are a really good football team, so we are humble, but we are here to win,” she told reporters on Friday.
“We have to find ways to win, and I am confident that the momentum of the game will shift. It’s important that we deal with every moment really well. We need courage and discipline, and we need to be switched on. If we do all those things well, we can perform well. We believe in our ability tomorrow.”
Arsenal forward Alessia Russo echoed Slegers’ sentiments.
“We want to show courage tomorrow. We respect Barca as a team,” she said. “They are a really good football team, but we are here to win. We have to find ways to win, and I am confident that, if we handle all situations well and stay focused, we can perform well.
“Belief is something we have spoken about a lot as a team this season. We have found lots of different ways to win. It’s been a season full of highs and lows, but we’ve learnt a lot,” the former Chelsea and Manchester United striker added.
Veteran midfielder Kim Little, who played in the 2007 final victory against Sweden’s Umea, looked back in time when asked about Arsenal’s first meeting with Barca in Europe’s top club competition during the 2012–13 season, when the London team won 7–0 on aggregate.
“It’s incredible for me to still be at the club. We came out on top,” Little said. “After 2007 and everything the club has achieved since then, leading the team on this occasion is so special.”
McTominay and Lukaku goals lead Napoli to Serie A title and Conte’s ‘most unexpected’ trophy
Napoli finished Serie A one point ahead of Inter
Updated 24 May 2025
AP
ROME: The two players who Antonio Conte wanted more than any others secured Napoli its second Serie A title in three years on Friday.
Scott McTominay scored with an acrobatic bicycle kick before halftime and Romelu Lukaku doubled the lead with a solo goal after the break in the decisive 2-0 home win over Cagliari.
Conte became the first coach to win the Italian championship with three different teams.
“Everyone contributed to this — but the coach most of all,” Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo said. “Napoli needed him to get back on top. He’s phenomenal.”
Comparing it to his three Serie A titles won at Juventus and one at Inter Milan — not to mention a Premier League title at Chelsea — Conte said it was “the most unexpected, the most difficult, and the most stimulating in terms of the challenge.”
Conte also noted how he had to try and convince players to stay when he arrived last June.
Napoli needed only to do the same or better than defending champion Inter in the final round of matches, so Inter’s 2-0 win at 10-man Como wasn’t enough for the Nerazzurri.
Napoli finished Serie A one point ahead of Inter.
The southern squad’s fourth Serie A title overall capped an impressive turnaround after the Partenopei finished 10th during a dismal title defense last season.
“The one two years ago was one we were for months, whereas this week we had so much anxiety, we couldn’t wait to get on the field and win this in front of our fans,” said winger Matteo Politano, who provided the cross for McTominay’s goal.
Diego Maradona led Napoli to its first two titles in 1987 and 1990. The 2023 team led by Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia clinched with five rounds to spare.
Inter was heading toward the title until McTominay went airborne to redirect a pass from Politano in the 42nd minute for his 12th goal this season after transferring from Manchester United.
“For me to come and experience this, it’s a dream,” McTominay said.
Lukaku, who was signed from Chelsea in August, controlled a long vertical pass and dribbled by two defenders before scoring in the 51st. It was his 14th goal along with his league-leading 10 assists.
Conte watched the match from the tribune after getting sent off last weekend. But he went down to the pitch at the final whistle and embraced Lukaku, with whom he also won Serie A at Inter in 2021.
McTominay dropped to the pitch in tears when the match finished. Minutes later he was honored as Serie A player of the season.
Napoli players held up signs that read “Again” featuring a “4” for the team’s fourth title.
Napoli fans began cheering and singing hours before kickoff at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona and erupted in celebration at the final whistle — including at jumbo screens that were set up in several of the city’s central piazzas.
Cagliari was already sure of avoiding relegation but goalkeeper Alen Sherri was inspired at the start, denying Napoli on multiple occasions early on.
While Napoli won by 16 points two years ago under Luciano Spalletti, this season was a duel with Inter virtually all season. It was also unexpected after Napoli went through three coaches last season – Rudi Garcia, Walter Mazzarri and Francesco Calzona.
But Conte constructed the best defense in Serie A, and brought in Lukaku and McTominay to play alongside holdovers from the 2023 team like captain Di Lorenzo, goalkeeper Alex Meret and midfielder Stanislav Lobotka.
Di Lorenzo matched Maradona by captaining Napoli to two titles.
It also helped that Napoli did not play in Europe this season — keeping the team fresher for Serie A.
Inter rested its starters
Defender Stefan de Vrij scored 20 minutes in for Inter, redirecting a corner kick with a bouncing header.
Como was reduced to 10 men when goalkeeper Pepe Reina was sent off at the end of the first half for a foul on Mehdi Taremi. It was Reina’s final game before retiring.
Joaquín Correa added another for Inter after the break in almost the same moment that Lukaku scored for Napoli.
Inter, which is also preparing for the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain in eight days, rested most of its usual starters, including top strikers Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram.
Ben Griffin, Matti Schmid share lead after going low at Charles Schwab
Griffin set the early pace by zipping around the course with eight birdies and one bogey
Updated 24 May 2025
Reuters
Ben Griffin and Germany’s Matti Schmid share the 36-hole lead at the Charles Schwab Challenge after they each posted 7-under-par rounds of 63 on Friday in Fort Worth, Texas.
Griffin and Schmid stand at 11-under 129 through two rounds at Colonial Country Club. They take a two-shot lead into the weekend over John Pak (68), who was the first-round leader.
Chris Gotterup had a bogey-free 65 to move to fourth place at 8 under, and Akshay Bhatia (66) is tied for fifth at 7 under with Japan’s Ryo Hizatsune (67).
Griffin set the early pace by zipping around the course with eight birdies and one bogey, capped by a near-eagle at his final hole, the par-4 ninth. Griffin’s approach shot bounced right over the hole and spun back to 18 inches for his final birdie.
Schmid climbed to 11 under later in the day as he turned in a bogey-free card with seven birdies. Schmid has never won on the PGA Tour, while Griffin’s only win came at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans team event last month with Andrew Novak.
Rickie Fowler is in the mix after shooting a 64 Friday. Fowler started on the back nine and birdied six holes for a 29 before cooling off on the front.
He’s tied at 6 under with Doug Ghim (65), Brice Garnett (67), J.J. Spaun (68), Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo (66) and Englishman Tommy Fleetwood (67).
Scottie Scheffler (71) is down the leaderboard at 1 under par, and Jordan Spieth (71) made the cut on the number at even par after birdieing his penultimate hole.
Notable names who did not make the weekend included Mackenzie Hughes of Canada (1 over), Aaron Rai of England (1 over), defending champion Davis Riley (2 over), Daniel Berger (2 over) and PGA teaching professional Michael Block (3 over).
