Following what can only be described as a dramatic 90-minutes for the Red Devils against Fulham yesterday in the Quarter Finals of the FA Cup, the Austrian midfielder was asked by reporters to give his take on the match – which saw three straight red cards given and a brawl break out, all before he netted his first goal for the club.
The 29-year-old – who was signed on a loan from Bayern Munich until the end of the 22/23 season – was asked by ITV Football’s Gabriel Clarke in his post-match interview whether or not United won the game, or rather if it was a case of Fulham losing it.
And his “straight-talking” response to the question has seen supporters calling for him be signed on a permanent deal.
"Very happy, it was an important goal for the team!"
Marcel Sabitzer discusses Man Utd's dramatic win over Fulham and his first goal at Old Trafford! 🙌
It all came after a late second-half meltdown at Old Trafford, where Fulham winger Willian was first sent off for a handball on the goal-line in the 72nd minute, before Fulham goal-scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic then started squaring-up to the referee, and several other players subsequently joined in leading to an on-pitch commotion.
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Mitrovic was also shown a straight red card shortly after, as was Fulham manager Marco Silva for dissent.
Sabitzer then scored his first goal in a United shirt quickly after in the 77th minute.
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Two United goals ⚽️ Three Fulham red cards 🟥 Five minutes 🤯
After speaking on the game as a whole, when the reporter asked whether it was United that won or Fulham who lost, the midfielder shrugged his shoulders and said with a completely straight face: “We won it. Why not?
“We scored three, they scored one. We concentrated and were focused.
“I think we deserved the win.
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“We had some chances that we missed. Second half, we were 1-0 down, but, as I said, we came back and that’s the important thing.”
Marcel Sabitzer scored his first goal in a United shirt during yesterday’s dramatic FA Cup clash / Credit: Manchester United (via Facebook)
The Austrian international’s answer to the reporter’s question has seen United supporters heap praise on him, taking to social media after the match to urge the club to sign him on a permanent deal after his loan ends at the close of the current season.
“The way he said “we won it”. Absolutely love this guy,” one fan said on Twitter.
“Sign him for this interview alone,” another United fan said on Twitter, while a third added: “Cold AF. Love it,” and a fourth commented: “Love how Sabitzer handled this interview despite the usual moronic questions.”
Another fan added on Twitter in response: “Sabitzer interview brilliant. For the goal and interview alone he has to be a red next season.”
Sabitzer also spoke to Manchester United’s official MUTV channel after the match and described his first goal for the club as “massive” for him.
“I was overwhelmed,” he admitted.
“Scoring the first at Old Trafford in front of these amazing fans. And that important one, at 2-1 it was a massive one. I am very happy at the moment. I couldn’t reach it with the right foot, so I was just trying to hit it with the left foot and it worked out.”
“It’s massive win,” he continued. “We wanted to go back to Wembley, we did it. 1-0 down was tough, but we come back and it was a good one.”
With the prospect of another trophy on the horizon as United head to Wembley for the second time this season in the FA Cup Semi Final, Sabitzer said he’s prepared for another clash in the capital.
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“As I said, before the game we were very focused to go back to Wembley and we did it,” he declared, “We know we are going to face a tough opponent, strong opponent. But we will prepare well for it and we will be ready to go to the final.
Manchester Futsal Club mop up Team and Coach of the Year awards after stellar season
Danny Jones
Manchester Fustal Club have picked up a pair of impressive awards following a brilliant season, winning both Club of the Year and Coach of the Year awards.
The Manchester side finished as runners-up in this year’s National Futsal League campaign, winning nine, drawing two and losing just three of their 14 games all season.
With one of the lowest average ages in the league, the squad’s stellar second-place finish looks to be a sign of even better things to come next season.
Everyone at the club is hugely proud to achieve this award and we’d like to thank everyone who has contributed to this award. pic.twitter.com/jxYfWrDI94
— Manchester Futsal Club (@MFC_Futsal) June 4, 2023
Better still, the accolades didn’t stop there as player turned coach (for this season at least), Ryan Williams, won the National Futsal Series Tier Two Coach of the Year award at the 2023 Grand Finals as well.
After suffering a heavy ACL injury, Williams decided to spend his year coaching the B team, which he also led to second position, finishing just six points behind league leaders Derby and only just missing out on a place in the Futsal Champions League preliminaries.
At just 23, Ryan is one of the youngest to have ever won the award and having studied at Ashton Sixth Form College, the school passed on a “huge well done” to the youngster, adding that “the Sport and Public Services department, in particular, are hugely proud of your achievement.”
Writing on social media, Williams also heaped massive praise and credit on co-owner Ilya Ovechkin and coach Raducio King, among many others, who helped him on his coaching journey.
with who all have high hopes for the future, as well as @sdotrich10 who gave me this opportunity. Thanks also to @ovechkin7, @Wright_Simon, Kingy and Jans who have helped me develop into the coach I am today and hopefully will be back on court to play with these next season. 2/2 pic.twitter.com/vrHgAJrnaq
Speaking to The Manc, he went on to add: “It was my first season working with this squad and the competition was high.
“There was never an easy game with a lot of other great coaches across the country in Tier 2, so to win Coach of the Season is my greatest achievement as a coach. Manchester Futsal winning Club of the Season also goes to show our club values and how well the club is run from the academy right up to the first team.
“It shows how much work all the staff have put in this season to make us the best club in the country.”
With two teams finishing as runners-up in the two highest leagues in the country, and the women’s team beginning to shape an exciting new squad ahead of returning to the fold next season, it’s been a brilliant year all-round for Manchester Futsal Club. We’re excited to see what comes next.
Featured Image — Manchester Futsal Club (via Twitter)
Sport
Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim gives Manchester United an ultimatum after submitting fifth bid
Danny Jones
Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani has issued Manchester United an ultimatum after submitting a fifth and supposedly final bid to buy the club.
Entering his fifth revised bid to buy Man United outright on Wednesday, the Middle Eastern banker and member of the Qatari royal family is reported to have told the club he is willing to pay “no more than £6 billion” for the takeover, an offer which sees him become the first to match the Glazer’s asking price.
However, in trying to give the negotiations a much-needed jolt — with Sheikh Jassim said to have grown frustrated with the long, drawn-out bidding process — his latest proposal also came with an ultimatum, telling the owners that they have until Friday, 8 June to accept his offer or else he will walk away.
So, rather than being strung along by the Glazers any further and potentially being dragged into another round of bidding with an arbitrary deadline, he has now given them until the end of the week to return their decision.
BREAKING: Sky News understands that Sheikh Jassim has made a fifth improved bid to buy Manchester United 💰🔴pic.twitter.com/YzTUvZ8OTR
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) June 7, 2023
As Sky Sports‘ Kaveh Solhekol went on to explain, Sheikh Jassim is now “frustrated and fed up” with how the bidding process has gone thus far, noting that talks first began almost seven months ago and there have been multiple so-called ‘deadlines’ that have led to little consequence or progress.
As a result, his bidding team have told the Glazers, board members and the Raine Group officials overseeing any potential deal that he will “no longer engage with the process” if the fifth bid is not accepted by Friday.
The chairman of Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB) who spent time in England whilst being educated at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst also wants to get the deal done as quickly as possible in order to clear the debts and properly fund the project at the earliest opportunity ahead of next season.
In addition to clearing United’s debts which are estimated to be just under £1bn, the sheikh will reportedly pump sizeable funds into redeveloping the stadium (or building a new one) and investing in the squad. While his exact net worth is not known, his family’s wealth is estimated at around £275 billion.
As for whether the Glazers will actually adhere to Sheikh Jassim’s deadline and accept his fifth and final bid, it remains to be seen, but it looks like someone needs to take charge in these negotiations if they actually going to move forward.
Gary Neville has already warned that the “shoddy” bidding process could end up jeopardising next season if it continues to go on any longer and many fans think the Qatari prince’s all-or-nothing offer is the only option to finally get rid of the Glazers.
Emily Sergeant -
20th March 2023 
