21/01/2026

SPORTS WEDNESDAY | JAN 21, 2026

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Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup. “When I heard the news about Xabi Alonso, it was a bit of a mix. Yes, I was surprised. “And no, I wasn’t surprised,” Klopp said. “I was like ‘what?’ And ‘yeah, of course’.” Referencing Madrid sacking German manager Jupp Heynckes in 1998 eight days after winning the Champions League for failing to win La Liga, Klopp said “it’s always like that from Madrid when they’re not first in the table.” ness and emotions are in this as well. There are a lot of signs that this is going the right way. We still need to find a way to get over the line and we are much closer than we think.” – AFP Under-fire Frank claims backing of Spurs hierarchy THOMAS FRANK insisted he retains the support of Tottenham’s hierarchy after the under-fire boss met with the club’s powerbrokers yesterday. Frank’s future was reportedly dis cussed by Tottenham on Monday in the aftermath of a dismal 2-1 home defeat against struggling West Ham. Tottenham fans jeered Frank and chanted “you’re getting sacked in the morning” during the West Ham deba cle. But Frank took training with his players ahead of Borussia Dortmund’s visit to north London in the Champions League overnight and remains ada mant he will be given the chance to save his job. The Dane spoke with Tottenham chief executive Vinai Venkatesham, sporting director Johan Lange and Nick Beucher, another member of the ownership group, over lunch yester day. “I’ve just been, how can you say, feeling the trust along the way. I’ve said that every press meeting. I had lunch with Nick, Vinai and Johan today and it was all good,” Frank told reporters. Just seven months after being hired from Brentford to replace the sacked Ange Postecoglou, Frank has been pushed to the brink by Tottenham’s woeful form. The West Ham defeat was Tottenham’s third successive loss and their eighth in their last 14 matches in all competitions. Frank’s team are languishing in 14th place in the Premier League and have already been knocked out of the FA Cup and League Cup. Accepting the responsiblity for Tottenham’s plight, Frank said: “Even the best manager in the world, Pep Guardiola, says ‘I am nothing without my players’ and it is fair to say they haven’t been available enough the whole time. “But hey, no problem. I am happy to take the blame as long as everyone supports the players. “It is about keeping the noise out, staying calm, carrying on.” As the questions grew more pointed during his media briefing, Frank vowed to keep battling to turn the tide and called for unity at a club in crisis. “If your back is against the wall, you fight. I am energetic and I fight,”he said. “It is not about me, we need to win football matches and we need to do that together. “Unfortunately, it is a results busi

Martinez must handle criticism: Scholes

Ű BY IAN PARKER

you can win a League with him. What he did on Saturday, brilliant, but you’ve got to do it over a period of time.” Butt said Martinez’s reaction to their comments raised questions about his mentality. “It’s tongue-in-cheek... if you’re going to get so emotional about someone saying something about you, you shouldn’t be at a big football club because you’ll get that for the rest of your career at Man United.” Butt pointed to the experience that he and the rest of United’s ‘Class of 92’ had when Alan Hansen famously said on Match of the Day “you can’t win anything with kids”. A teenager at the time, Butt said that taught him to deal with criticism. “I was 18, not 26 or 27,” he said. “I didn’t want to go out of the house for weeks, but you man up and go and prove people wrong.” – The Independent

“tongue-in-cheek”. Butt said: “First and foremost he was brilliant on the day, and fair play to him, he’s gone out man-to man against the best centre-forward in the world, him and Harry (Maguire) to be fair and they were brilliant. “So we’ll come on here now and say brilliant, but that’s what’s to be expected for a Manchester United player on derby day.” Scholes also praised Martinez’s display but said he still has some doubts about the 28-year-old. “It fuels people,” he said of criticism. “I think we have to take a bit of the credit for Martinez’s performance on Saturday!” But he then warned: “He’s had one brilliant game, but when you start talking and shouting your mouth off, this game has a habit of coming and biting you back on the a**e. “I haven’t changed my opinion yet. I’m still not sure

PAUL SCHOLES has praised Lisandro Martinez’s “brilliant” display for Manchester United in Saturday’s derby win over rivals City but warned the Argentinian he must be able to deal with criticism after he took exception to his and Nicky Butt’s comments ahead of the match. After playing his part in United’s 2-0 win over City at Old Trafford, Martinez challenged Scholes to speak to him face-to-face after he and Butt had mocked the defender’s size before his battle with Erling Haaland, suggesting the Norwegian would “pick him up and run with him”. Scholes and Butt addressed Martinez’s comments in the latest episode of their podcast The Good, The Bad and The Football yesterday, with both former players saying their initial comments had been

It’s not a foul! Brighton boss Hurzeler angered by Bournemouth penalty

but it doesn’t look great.” Kostoulas stylishly claimed his sec ond goal in English football, having replaced Danny Welbeck in the 77th minute. “A great goal but in the end we all prefer to win these type of games,” said Hurzeler. “He has the skill to do these kind of things, we know it. Now it’s about doing the other things well.” Bournemouth, playing in the top flight for first time since selling top scorer Antoine Semenyo to Manchester City, remain three points below the 12th-placed Seagulls fol lowing the late drama. Cherries boss Andoni Iraola, who felt the penalty decision was correct, said: “The end is very hard for us. We were defending very well and they scored an incredible goal. It’s difficult to blame anyone about that goal. “Football has been a little bit harsh with us because we’ve been feeling the same way in a lot of games recently. It’s a difficult one to take.” – The Independent

Adli beat Verbruggen to Tavernier’s cross from the left before being caught on the thigh as the ball went out of play. Brighton fans vented their displeasure when replays of the incident were shown on big screens inside the ground. Boos and chants of “you’re not fit to referee” rang around the stadium as match official Tierney left the pitch at half time. “The penalty changed the game, we lost our rhythm, we made afterwards too many easy technical mistakes,” said Hurzeler. narrowly

Ű BY EDWARD ELLIOT

B RIGHTON BOSS Fabian Hurzeler (below) was frus trated by a controversial penalty award after his side required a late wonder goal from substitute Charalampos Kostoulas to salvage a 1-1 Premier League draw with Bournemouth. Albion fell behind in the 32nd min ute at the Amex Stadium when Marcus Tavernier converted from the spot following goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen’s challenge on Cherries winger Amine Adli. Referee Paul Tierney initially booked Adli for diving before angering most inside the ground by changing his decision after reviewing footage on the pitch-side monitor on the advice of VAR Jarred Gillett. The Seagulls created little in response until 18-year-old Greece international

referee. Of course you try it, but in the end they stick to their decision. “For certain contact, for certain moments in the box – that’s what the refe rees told us at the beginning of the sea son – it’s not always a foul. “Contact

“We should speak about our performance, our per formance wasn’t good enough. Therefore we have to take responsi bility. We shouldn’t

give the referee the responsibility,

doesn’t mean foul and in this situa tion it’s contact, maybe a little bit, but it’s not a foul. It (the process of the VAR becoming involved) doesn’t make sense.”

Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen dives to save from the feet of Bournemouth’s Amine Adli, leading to a VAR check for a penalty, during the

English Premier League match at the American Express Community Stadium yesterday. – AFPPIC

Kostoulas equalised in the first minute of added time with a spectacular overhead kick. Hurzeler, who was also unhappy with his team’s overall perform ance and Bournemouth’s perceived time-wasting tactics, said:

“For me it’s not a penalty, but we have to accept people make mis takes. “It’s difficult to speak in that moment to the

SHORTS

… and ‘surprised, not surprised’ by Alonso exit FORMER Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid exit was a surprise but also predictable from the European giants known for cut-throat coaching decisions. Former Real midfielder Alonso lasted less than eight months in the Bernabeu dugout, leaving the club by “mutual agreement” a day after being outplayed in a 3-2 defeat by

multi-club structure with teams including RB Leipzig, New York Red Bulls and Paris FC, Klopp said that he wants to help coaches answer those questions. “My role with the coaches is to be the guy I never had. I sat in my office very often, very alone. A lot of people gave me advice and have great ideas... It’s great to have ideas, but it’s really not that easy to make the final decision. I want to be in moments when I know they are alone, or feel alone. I want to be there.”

finished. I was like ‘how can I be world class with these questions still?’” After starting out at Mainz, where he took the club to the top flight for the first time, Klopp moved to Borussia Dortmund, where he won two Bundesliga titles and reached the 2013 Champions League final. After signing with Liverpool in 2015, Klopp’s Reds won every trophy on offer, including the Champions League and Premier League. In his new role as Red Bull’s global head of football, where he oversees a

I never felt world-class: Klopp

DESPITE leaving Liverpool as one of the most highly regarded coaches in world football in 2024, Jurgen Klopp said he never thought of himself as among the game’s best. “I never considered myself a world-class coach,” Klopp said in an interview in Leipzig, “because I still had so many questions when I