LONDON: Five years after being snubbed for the Manchester United job immediately after the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho has once again been unceremoniously rejected by the club after two-and-a-half fractious and tumultuous years at the helm.
And the truth is, it was an inevitable divorce.
Since the middle of last season, Mourinho had been involved in a power struggle with senior members of the playing squad, openly criticized board members for a lack of backing in the transfer window and the majority of fans had started to turn on the so-called “Special One” and his tactics.
And while they would never do so publicly, no doubt several of the players who had fallen foul of Mourinho’s wrath were privately breathing a sigh of relief when the club announced that Mourinho had left the club with “immediate effect” on Tuesday.
Indeed, the player Mourinho clashed with the most — £89 million ($112 million) midfielder Paul Pogba — deleted a controversial social media post of himself smiling after the news broke.
That controversy was a microcosm of the French World Cup winner’s stormy relationship with Mourinho.
But the former Juventus player, who retuned to Manchester United having already been with the club during the Ferguson era, was repeatedly criticized by Mourinho during his reign and Pogba was stripped of the United vice-captaincy earlier this season.
The pair were captured having a frosty exchange on the training ground as Mourinho grew angry with his key midfielder’s lethargic performances, dropping him on several occasions to spark talk he would be sold by the end of the season.
And even on the pitch, the writing has been on the wall for a while.
A string of uninspiring performances since the season started saw Mourinho come in for criticism from all sides, as the Portuguese became more and more embittered and paranoid in his dealings with the media.
The final straw for the club was Sunday’s 3-1 defeat to Liverpool, who United usurped as the biggest club in England under Ferguson’s 27-year reign. And the Scot was seen shaking his head as he watched his dynasty unravel in front of his eyes at the hands of United’s bitterest of rivals.
While the Merseyside club battle it out for the Premier League title with Manchester City and Tottenham — all playing a refreshing, exciting brand of football — United find themselves 19 points adrift of the summit and struggling to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Mourinho’s stagnant, defensive approach jarred with supporters, some of whom have only known the rampant attack-minded approach the club used to such devastating efficacy under Ferguson.
Mourinho was brought in to bring back those glory days after David Moyes and then Dutchman Louis van Gaal struggled to step out of Ferguson’s shadow.
And despite first-season League Cup and Europa League titles, he has failed miserably since. And he has bought himself little good grace with fans and officials, finding new excuses and ways to blame each latest defeat on his players, while ungraciously reminding critics of previous successes at Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid.
But this ignominious end for Mourinho in what he called his “dream job” leaves him at a crossroads in his career. Few clubs will have been inspired by his playing style with a highly-talented team, even fewer will want to deal with the off-field tantrums and constant bickering.
Having arrived in English football as a breath of fresh air, he leaves it (for now) like a foul odor. With the prospect of no club to manage, no trophies to win and no teams to build, Mourinho is now much less the “Special One,” and more and more likely to be the “Tainted One.”
Jose Mourinho’s sacking leaves the ‘Special One’ at a career crossroads
Jose Mourinho’s sacking leaves the ‘Special One’ at a career crossroads
- Since the middle of last season, Mourinho had been involved in a power struggle with senior members of the playing squad
- A string of uninspiring performances since the season started saw Mourinho come in for criticism from all sides
Coach Anton Dubrov on the secret behind Aryna Sabalenka’s return to No. 1 spot in women’s tennis
- ‘I think she’s more mature, to understand what you need to do to be on this level … with all the stress at this level) you always have to be consistent, or even higher, all the time,’ says Dubrov
- He adds that one of her strengths is that she is very open to making changes to her game as long as she has been convinced such tweaks will help her improve
Aryna Sabalenka’s last order of business in Riyadh, before she officially wrapped up her 2024 season and hopped on a plane to go on vacation, was a photoshoot with the trophy for being world No. 1.
The Belarusian fell to Coco Gauff at the semi-final stage of the WTA Finals last week but still left Saudi Arabia with some valuable silverware, having achieved one of her biggest goals: finishing the year at the summit of the rankings.
Sabalenka occupied the top spot for eight weeks last year but could not hold off Iga Swiatek, who reclaimed the No. 1 position in the closing week of the season to finish 2023 at the top.
This time, Sabalenka managed to cap an incredible campaign. during which she won two Grand Slams, the Australian Open and US Open, and two WTA 1000 crowns in Cincinnati and Wuhan, by clinching the year-end No. 1 ranking and the trophy that goes with it.
“I’m proud of myself this season. I think I achieved a lot,” Sabalenka said after her last match in Riyadh. “There is no room for disappointment.”
As she begins her second stint as world No. 1, she believes she is “mentally, more ready” for her position at the top of the rankings. Her coach, Anton Dubrov, agrees.
“I don’t think you can hold the No. 1 ranking, to be honest, but I think she’s more mature, to understand what you need to do to be on this level,” Dubrov told Arab News in Riyadh last week.
“Because to hold it, you cannot hold it. The only thing you can do is your next match. And this is the thing: because you’re No. 1, everyone plays against you like they have nothing to lose. They can play the best game they can do. And you, with all the stress and all this level, you always have to be consistent, or even higher, all the time.
“I think, for her it’s about finding the way to adapt to all the situations. She is much better at doing that right now. She understands, even if she’s not at her best level. I think that’s what happened in China; she wasn’t playing her best tennis, it’s end of the season, she’s tired. But she adapted to the situation and accepted that she can even play not the best game and still find the way.”
Dubrov saw Sabalenka play for the first time when she was 14 years old, at a European team championship in Minsk.
“I think my grandpa was a captain of the team,” Dubrov recalls. A year later, he started to see her more often because she was training at the national academy, and they went on their first trip abroad, for International Tennis Federation tournaments in China, when she was about 16.
“I think it’s more than 10 years we have known each other,” he said.
Did he expect her to have such a great career when he first met her as a teenager?
“Firstly, what everyone would tell you is that you can hear that she’s hitting really hard,” he said. “She’s trying really hard. You never see her like, not trying. No matter how she is playing — she can play incredible, she can play not great — but she still will fight for it.
“And I wasn’t the guy who was like, ‘OK, she will be, like, No. 1 or, like, top 100.’ No, I wasn’t like this.
“When she was 16, I could see the biggest improvement because of her approach to herself. If someone will tell her that she needs to do something, and she agrees, she’s the one who the very next day will do it, and she will do it not just in the practice, she will do it actually when she’s going to play points.
“Most of the players, they still go into old habits more often. I would say she’s doing it less. If she agrees with you, she accepts it, even if it’s a new technique. And this is the worst one for tennis players because it’s really sensitive how you are used to doing something with a specific technique. So I think this is her talent, that if she accepts the thing, she’s doing it straight away.”
Dubrov said that to this day, Sabalenka remains very open to making changes as long as she has been convinced and shown evidence that such tweaks will make her game better.
“You need to show her why and then, definitely, she will do it,” he added.
Having previously worked with Sabalenka as a hitting partner, Dubrov was hired to be her coach in 2020. It has been a successful four-year partnership so far, during which she has claimed three majors and reached the top of the rankings twice.
“Thinking about a tennis coach, always I was looking for not, like, big names because sometimes big names are just big names,” Sabalenka said, reflecting on her decision to work with Dubrov.
“I was looking for someone smart and someone who will always be looking for something, and who's going to always search for stuff, who’s open to talk to whoever, you know, who is ready to receive any sort of advice.
“And of course, knowing my emotions, I was looking for someone who can understand that even if I go crazy on court, it’s nothing personal. It’s just like the way I am, throwing out all that negative stuff in my head so I can keep focusing on the game.”
Dubrov is on exactly the same page, which perhaps explains why they have enjoyed so much success together. He says irrespective of how well they get along, the most important thing is that he can help her improve her game; everything else is secondary to that.
“We had this conversation a lot during the 2022 season, when she served a lot of double faults. So we found Gavin (MacMillan, a biomechanics coach) to help us,” said Dubrov.
“We always need to find a way to improve, otherwise why are we doing something together? So if we are still working together, doing something, first it should be about your tennis. OK, it’s great, it’s a safe environment, that’s awesome. But the main thing is your tennis.
“So if we can cover this part and we still see progression, great, we can still keep working. If not, we need to talk, need to find a new approach, need to find something. You need to find maybe some other guy to join, to replace or something.
“Because your career, we have to think really quick, because it’s changing really quick and with tennis, you have to prove every week that you’re No. 1.”
Dubrov notes that the biggest improvement Sabalenka made to get back to the top of the rankings was her ability to focus on “how to do it, not thinking about just the outcome.” Coming to an understanding that the “how” is directly within her control while the outcome is not has worked wonders for the 26-year-old, and now she and Dubrov are looking forward to 2025 with that mindset.
This year, Sabalenka lost in the quarter-finals of the French Open while dealing with a stomach bug that hampered her progress, and she missed Wimbledon with a shoulder injury.
She told Arab News recently that she has every reason to believe she can translate her success in hard-court Grand Slams to the clay of Roland Garros and the grass of Wimbledon.
“I think this is, for us, the biggest challenge as a team: to manage that, with preparation mostly,” said Dubrov. “Because it’s a really tight time between Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and they are different surfaces. So I think this is more about how we can manage the calendar, preparation and her adaptation to different things.
“But she’s doing that much better. And yes, she has those chances on all the surfaces. But we need to focus on what we have to do for this and start with the managing before the tournament. Then we have the chances.”
Israeli anthem booed, scuffles seen at France game
- Some 100 Israeli fans come to game despite warning
- * Police seek to avoid violence seen in Amsterdam
PARIS: Some French fans booed the Israeli national anthem and there were minor scuffles inside a sparsely-attended Stade de France on Thursday for a Nations League game overshadowed by frictions around the Gaza war.
Seeking to prevent a repeat of violence in Amsterdam last week around a Europa League game involving Maccabi Tel Aviv, 4,000 French security personnel were deployed in and around the stadium and on public transport.
Some 100 Israel fans defied a warning from their government against traveling for sports events, sitting in a corner of the 80,000-capacity stadium which was barely a fifth full.
With many staying away due to security fears, the 16,611 attendance was the lowest for Les Bleus at the Stade de France since it opened in 1998. The match ended 0-0.
Some boos and whistles were heard during the playing of the Israeli national anthem, which was then turned up on loudspeakers. Israeli fans waved yellow balloons and chanted “Free the Hostages” in reference to compatriots held by Hamas militants.
As the match got underway, there was a melee near the Israel fans’ section for several minutes, with people seen running and punches thrown. Stewards quickly formed a barrier.
It was unclear what had triggered the trouble.
Leading up to the game, several hundred anti-Israeli demonstrators had gathered at a square in Paris’ Saint-Denis district, perimeter, waving Palestinian flags, as well as a few Lebanese and Algerian ones, to protest against the match.
“We don’t play with genocide,” one banner read, in reference to the Gaza war.
At the end of the match, two Palestinian flags were displayed at the south end of the stadium.
Israel denies allegations of genocide in its more than year-long offensive against Hamas.
Macron attends
Going into the ground, some Israel fans wore both Israeli and French colors. Two wore a t-shirt with Israeli club side Maccabi Tel Aviv’s logo on the front and the words “Ni Oubli Ni Pardon” (Never Forgive Never Forget) on the back.
One person held a paper with “f*** Hamas” written on it.
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said this week there was never any doubt the match would go ahead, following the unrest in Amsterdam which saw both Maccabi fans and local groups engage in violence, according to Dutch police.
He said there were no specific threats identified ahead of the game, but that zero risk did not exist.
French President Emmanuel Macron was at the game in a show of solidarity. “We will not give into anti-Semitism anywhere and violence, including in France, will never prevail, nor will intimidation,” he told BFM TV hours before kickoff.
The match came a day after the ninth anniversary of coordinated Islamist attacks on entertainment venues across the French capital, including the national stadium.
Racism and intolerance are rising in France, fueled in part by the war in Gaza after the Hamas attacks on Israel in October 2023. Similar trends have been witnessed elsewhere in Europe.
Nearly 70 suspects have been arrested and at least five people were injured in last week’s clashes between Maccabi fans and gangs in Amsterdam.
Son scores 50th international goal as South Korea beat Kuwait in World Cup qualifying
- Jordan and Iraq stayed in second and third place on eight points after drawing 0-0 in Basra
- Oman are now two points behind after defeating the Palestinian team 1-0
MELBOURNE: Son Heung-min scored his 50th international goal on Thursday as South Korea beat Kuwait 3-1 to take a big step toward an 11th successive World Cup appearance.
The Tottenham forward converted a penalty to make it 2-0 in the 19th minute and help South Korea earn a fourth successive win in Group B of Asia’s World Cup qualifiers to move five points clear at the top with five games to go.
Oh Se-hun headed in South Korea’s opener in the 10th minute and Son, who had just returned from a hamstring injury, extended the advantage after being fouled in the area. Mohammed Daham pulled a goal back with a spectacular strike with 30 minutes remaining but Bae Jun-ho sealed the win for the visitors.
“(Son is) such an important part of our team,” South Korea coach Hong Myung-bo said. “He just came back after being hobbled by injury.”
Jordan and Iraq stayed in second and third place on eight points after drawing 0-0 in Basra while Oman are now two points behind after defeating the Palestinian team 1-0.
In Group A, Iran defeated North Korea 3-2 in Laos to move onto 13 points, three clear of Uzbekistan which lost 3-2 at Qatar. The 2022 World Cup host stayed in fourth with seven points, level with the United Arab Emirates which defeated Kyrgyzstan 2-0.
In Group C, Australia and Saudi Arabia drew 0-0 in Melbourne and remained level on six points from five games and are joined by China, which defeated Bahrain 1-0 with an injury-time goal from Zhang Yuning. Leader Japan will move seven points clear if they can defeat Indonesia in Jakarta on Friday.
Only the top two of six in each group will qualify automatically for the 2026 World Cup. The third- and fourth-place finishers will advance to the next stage.
McIlroy shares Dubai lead with Ballesteros mark in sight
- McIlroy fired a 67 to stand on top of the leaderboard alongside Tyrrell Hatton
- McIlroy only needs a top ten finish to secure a sixth Race to Dubai crown of his career, matching the tally of Ballesteros
DUBAI: Rory McIlroy claimed a share of the first-round lead at the World Tour Championship in Dubai on Thursday as he closed in on equalling Seve Ballesteros’ mark of six European Tour Order of Merit crowns.
McIlroy fired a 67 to stand on top of the leaderboard alongside Tyrrell Hatton.
The 35-year-old McIlroy started the season-ending event in Dubai with a healthy lead over South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence who endured a nightmare day, signing for a one-over 73 which included five bogeys.
With 2,000 points on offer to the winner, McIlroy only needs a top ten finish to secure a sixth Race to Dubai crown of his career, matching the tally of Ballesteros.
Playing partners Hatton and Paul Waring, who sealed the biggest victory of his career at last week’s Abu Dhabi Championship, hit the front at four under after they each birdied the 14th hole, but the Northern Irishman followed suit shortly after.
Hatton became the first person to reach five under with a birdie at the penultimate hole, only to be matched by McIlroy’s 48-foot putt at the same hole to share the lead with Englishman.
“I thought I played well. I hit the ball pretty well. I gave myself plenty of chances, plenty of looks,” four-time major champion McIlroy said.
“I want to go on from here and win the golf tournament. I’ve opened up with a really good score, but I need to go out and play similarly over these next three days, not just to try to win the tournament, but also to try to get the job done in the Race to Dubai.
“I’m under no illusions that that was probably Thriston’s worst day. If he goes out and has three good ones, I still need to go out there and play some very solid golf.”
Hatton, 33, carded seven birdies and two dropped shots in his round.
Dubai-based Waring reached the turn in 32 before mixing a bogey and birdie on the back nine to sit alone in third at four under.
There are seven players at three under — Billy Horschel, Matt Wallace, Adam Scott, Alex Fitzpatrick, Niklas Norgaard and Japanese duo Keita Nakajima and Rikuya Hoshino.
Jeddah Corniche Circuit to host SAL Jeddah GT Race 2024 on Nov. 29-30
- SAL Jeddah GT Race 2024 consists of two main races, the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe and the GT4 European Series
- Some of the world’s leading drivers and manufacturers will take part in the race
JEDDAH: The Jeddah Corniche Circuit, dubbed the fastest street circuit in the world, is set to host the SAL Jeddah GT Race 2024 for the first time on Nov. 29-30.
The SAL Jeddah GT Race 2024 consists of two main races — the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS, which lasts for six hours and covers 1,000 km with more than 40 teams participating, and the GT4 European Series powered by RAFA Racing, which is 250 km long and features more than 30 teams.
GT racing showcases car models designed for road use that have been expertly modified for high-speed endurance events, often proving to be more powerful and durable than Formula cars, according to a media statement on Thursday.
The championship is sponsored by Fanatec, a leading manufacturer of racing simulation equipment, offering a connection between real and virtual motorsports.
The race will see an array of the world’s leading drivers and manufacturers take part, such as Porsche, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mercedes, BMW, Audi and Ford.
The primary focus of GT racing is to challenge the endurance of both drivers and cars, particularly in events such as the SAL Jeddah GT Race 2024.
Teams, drivers and spectators are set to make the most of the opportunities offered by the SAL Jeddah GT 2024. Saudi Arabia will again be in the global spotlight as it becomes an important destination for international motorsport stars and racing enthusiasts, in a new championship that stands apart from other regional competitions, the media statement said.
