عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Sports

Paulo Fonseca Confirms He’s Been Fired by AC Milan with Sergio Conceicao Lined up to Replace Him

AC Milan's Portuguese coach Paulo Fonseca looks on during the Italian Serie A football match between AC Milan and AS Roma at San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy on December 29, 2024. (AFP)
AC Milan's Portuguese coach Paulo Fonseca looks on during the Italian Serie A football match between AC Milan and AS Roma at San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy on December 29, 2024. (AFP)
TT
TT

Paulo Fonseca Confirms He’s Been Fired by AC Milan with Sergio Conceicao Lined up to Replace Him

AC Milan's Portuguese coach Paulo Fonseca looks on during the Italian Serie A football match between AC Milan and AS Roma at San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy on December 29, 2024. (AFP)
AC Milan's Portuguese coach Paulo Fonseca looks on during the Italian Serie A football match between AC Milan and AS Roma at San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy on December 29, 2024. (AFP)

Paulo Fonseca has been fired by AC Milan, the coach confirmed in the early hours of Monday morning as he left the San Siro stadium following a 1-1 draw with Roma.

"Yes, it's true. I'm out," Fonseca told reporters when he lowered his car window. "That's life. ... I did everything I could."

Milan is expected to announce the move later Monday and hire Sergio Conceicao, another Portuguese coach, as Fonseca's replacement.

Milan next plays against Juventus in the Italian Super Cup semifinals in Saudi Arabia on Friday.

Fonseca was hired in June and produced only 12 wins in 24 matches across all competitions.

Milan is eighth in Serie A, trailing leaders Atalanta and Napoli by 14 points - far worse than the second place result earned under Stefano Pioli last season.

Milan has fared better in the Champions League lately following four straight wins, including a 3-1 result at Real Madrid. The Rossoneri are in 12th place and on course to qualify for the knockout playoff round.

Conceicao, who played in Serie A with Lazio, Parma and Inter Milan, coached Porto for six seasons before stepping down in June.

Most Viewed

 
 
Sports

Amorim is 'Very Excited' about where 14th-place Man United Can Go in 2025

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim reacts at the end of the English Premier League match between Manchester United and Newcastle United in Manchester, Britain, 30 December 2024. EPA/ADAM VAUGHAN
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim reacts at the end of the English Premier League match between Manchester United and Newcastle United in Manchester, Britain, 30 December 2024. EPA/ADAM VAUGHAN
TT
TT

Amorim is 'Very Excited' about where 14th-place Man United Can Go in 2025

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim reacts at the end of the English Premier League match between Manchester United and Newcastle United in Manchester, Britain, 30 December 2024. EPA/ADAM VAUGHAN
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim reacts at the end of the English Premier League match between Manchester United and Newcastle United in Manchester, Britain, 30 December 2024. EPA/ADAM VAUGHAN

Despite his team entering 2025 in 14th place in the Premier League, Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim is “very excited” about the year ahead.
United’s 2-0 home defeat to Newcastle on Monday saw it suffer five league losses in the same calendar month for the first time since September 1962, and a fourth straight reverse in all competitions means the Red Devils have lost six of their last eight.
But in a message posted on his club's official X account on New Year’s Eve, Amorim wrote: “I know it will take a lot of hard work from everyone to get there, but I am very excited about where we can go together in 2025.”
Amorim is yet to halt the alarming slide which led to Erik ten Hag’s dismissal in October, and his team is seven points above the drop zone with increasing talk of a relegation fight, including by Amorim himself who has called it “a possibility.”
But the Portuguese says he's determined to press on with the 3-4-3 system despite the difficulties United’s squad has had in adapting, The Associated Press reported.
“Of course I didn’t choose the players specifically for these positions but that I already knew,” he said. “But I understand they have a lot of difficulties because they spend two years playing one way and then they are playing another."
Amorim did not have the benefit of a pre-season to implement such a major change to United’s tactical model, and admitted that is having a significant impact.
“I think the players are losing everything, the small things that we try to work on in training," Amorim said. "After one goal they lose everything because we don’t have the base, we don’t have time to build the base to cope with the difficult moments so it’s really hard in this moment.”
United has the toughest of starts to 2025 when it travels to play league leader Liverpool on Sunday in what is widely considered English soccer’s fiercest rivalry.