Sport

Sky Sports criticised for ‘disrespectful’ treatment of Rúben Amorim after Man United v Ipswich Town

The man at the centre of it all has since apologised.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 25th November 2024

Sky Sports have been criticised for what some fans have labelled ‘disrespectful’ behaviour towards the new Manchester United boss, Rúben Amorim, during his first post-match interview on the job.

Fans got their first look at Ruben’s Reds on Sunday evening as they travelled to Portman Road for an away match against newly promoted Ipswich Town, only managing to muster a 1-1 draw despite an early goal less than two minutes after kick-off.

The travelling fans will no doubt have felt like they were in dreamland in those opening moments but as the game went on it was clear that this is just the start of what is likely to be a very long process.

Speaking with the Sky Sports presenting panel immediately after the game, one of Amorim’s answers is cut somewhat short Ed Sheeran, of all people, interrupts the interview. A humourous off-the-cuff moment for plenty watching, certainly, but many have called it simply “disrespectful”.

As you can see, while many took issue more specifically with the popstar and Ipswich fan for inserting himself into the situation mid-question, some were also left criticising Sky themselves for allowing the musician to somewhat derail the discussion with the fledgling Man United manager.

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Not only is Ed Sheeran a lifelong Tractor Boy, but he also happens to own a minority stake in the club and his album artwork features on the current kits, so they will no doubt have been more than keen to hear what he had to say.

Regardless, the interruption proved somewhat fruitless in the end as the singer himself said, “He [Amorim] doesn’t want to talk to me” and the 33-year-old ultimately walked off without contributing anything to the conversation other than adding: “I love being back in the Premier League.”

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Meanwhile, the 39-year-old United head coach can be seen with his head down throughout the random moment and could only shake his head in confirmation and reply, “No, I don’t want to [talk to him]”.

One fan wrote online: “[As] soon as Ed Sheeran rudely interrupted Amorim’s interview, he should have just put the mic down and walked off. Would’ve made a big statement to the media.”

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Despite laughing off the interjection and continuing with the questions Sheeran departs, Amorim looked already visibly exasperated with the media commitments if he wasn’t already, telling Sky Sports host Kelly Cates, “This week I spoke more than in four years of Sporting.”

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As for Ed, he has since apologised following the incident, writing in an Instagram story: “Apologies if I offended Amorim yesterday, didn’t actually realise he was being interviewed at the time, was popping to say hi and bye to Jamie. [Obviously] feel a bit of a b*****d but life goes on. Great game though, congrats [to] all involved.”

Amorim will have to get used to the circus that is English football as this is just the tip of the iceberg – especially when it comes to taking a job as big as the one at Manchester United.

What do you think: were Ed Sheeran and/or Sky Sports rude and disrespectful to Amorim, or is this just a bit of a storm in a teacup?

United take on Bodø/Glimt in the Europa League on Thursday in just Amorim’s second match, but for now you can watch the highlights of his debut in the dugout down below.

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Featured Images — Sky Sports (via YouTube)

Sport

Super League ‘Rivals Round’ fixtures confirmed, with two big North West clashes

Danny Jones Danny Jones Super League Rivals Round games 2026 fixtures

The Betfred Super League (BSL) ‘Rivals Round’ games for 2026 have been confirmed, with two big regional clashes coming in time for the spring.

Returning for 2026, the annual meeting of multiple teams coming up against their fiercest and most historic rivals will land on round seven of the calendar over the traditional Easter weekend.

Despite the competition having sadly lost Salford Red Devils following their forced relegation, local rugby fans will still be glad to see the borough of Wigan, as well as neighbouring Cheshire and nearby Merseyside clubs, coming up against each other in what is a highly anticipated fixture on the calendar.

Announcing the now fully confirmed matches this week, the total of seven matches are set to be played between Friday, 3 April and the following Sunday, 5 April.

In the Super League’s own words, there are few gameweeks more box office than the Rivals Round – “where the games mean more, hit harder and have the ability to divide towns and families.”

After the inaugural edition of the modern round in 2021, this year saw the division record a best-ever attendance of 86,080 across a six-match period, and with an extra game being played next season, we’re expecting more ground to be broken.

“The most intense and historic rivalries will go head-to-head with huge crowds anticipated, emotions running high and everyone expected to bring their A game”, say the BSL.

  • St Helens v Wigan Warriors – Friday, 3 April
  • Hull KR v Hull FC – Friday, 3 April
  • Bradford Bulls v Leeds Rhinos – Friday, 3 April
  • Catalans Dragons v Toulouse Olympique – Saturday, 4 April
  • Warrington Wolves v Leigh Leopards – Saturday, 4 April
  • Huddersfield Giants v York Knights – Saturday, 4 April
  • Castleford Tigers v Wakefield Trinity – Sunday, 5 April

One of the most notable exclusions among the slate, of course, is that of Salford Red Devils, as various players and staff members continue to leave the club during this increasingly concerning and deep period of uncertainty.

Salford supporters have given a clear response following the decisive drop in IMG gradings:

Salford Red Devils supporters meet winding-up adjournment with a petition of their own
SRD RLFC‘s future still hangs in the balance.

Although they are now longer in rugby league’s premier domestic tier, Salford are still expected to take part in the Challenge Cup tournament, which begins in January.

Betfred and the RFL revealed the most recent ties on Monday, 24 November, with the Devils due to face either Royal Navy Rugby or Hammersmith Hills Hoists in the second round.

Meanwhile, with the new campaign kicking off in February, rugby fans will only have to wait a couple of months to witness the upcoming instalments in the various rivalries.

Safe to say it’s going to be a spicy Easter break.

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Featured Images — Fleets (via Wikimedia Commons)

Sport

Pep Guardiola admits heavily rotated squad was ‘too much’ after landmark home loss

Danny Jones Danny Jones Pep Guardiola admits he made too many changes to squad Leverkusen UCL game

Pep Guardiola has conceded that his heavily rotated side, which saw almost an entirely different team from the previous matchday squad, may have been “too many changes” as Manchester City suffered their first home loss in the Champions League group stages in more than seven years.

Man City suffered a 2-0 defeat whilst hosting Bayer Leverkusen at the Etihad Stadium – a place that has been largely a fortress in European fixtures since the Catalan coach arrived – but the biggest headline on the night was the whopping 10 personnel changes Guardiola made to his starting XI.

It has been argued that Pep has become overly reliant on star striker Erling Haaland (who has already scored 19 goals in the Premier League and UCL combined this season), and the virtually ‘start-from-scratch’ outfit he fielded on Tuesday night definitely didn’t do him any favours.

Speaking to various media in post-match interviews and the press conference after the game, Pep admitted that his wholesale rotation gamble may have been “too much.”

Considering the only continuity between the batch that faced Leverkusen and the previous squad that narrowly lost to Newcastle United was the still relatively new CDM, Nico González, we think he might be on to something.

In fact, as if the conviction behind the decision wasn’t already questionable enough, Pep insisted before the game that he would have made more if he could, but with fellow central midfielder talisman Rodri still injured, the number 14 was the sole teammate who remained from the weekend.

There are always going to be lapses in sharpness and fluidity when a lineup is shuffled, but it’s fair to say that it’s almost guaranteed when you remove every individual bar one.

Perhaps this was a somewhat covert/loaded attempt to shine a light again on previously mentioned complaints regarding squad depth in relation to the increasingly congested fixture list, with both Guardiola and the aforementioned Euro 2020 winner having flagged their concerns about the calendar.

This is also the second time in just a matter of days that the 54-year-old has held his hands up and taken accountability for making “huge mistakes”.

Pep Guardiola apologises for ’embarrassing’ camera operator confrontation

Not only was it City’s first Champions League loss of the season, but as mentioned, the first and at home in the competition’s initial stages in more than half a decade.

It’s quite a record that Pep has clung onto, which should get plenty of recognition in its own right, but supporters will nevertheless be hoping to get back to winning ways soon and avoid stringing together any more consecutive losses.

Last November was the first time Guardiola had ever lost four matches in a row during his entire career, and with a trio of very winnable fixtures coming up in the league, we would bank on a big reaction in the next game against Leeds.

If you missed the game, you can watch the highlights from Man City vs Bayer Leverkusen down below.

What did you make of the performance, Blues?

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Featured Images — CBS Sports Golazo (screenshot via YouTube)

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