With four rounds of games left, Sporting CP is seven points clear of second-placed Benfica in Liga Portugal. Yet, the Lisbon-based team's manager Ruben Amorim apologised to his players on Saturday over a "mistake."
Amorim, who shared the Portugal dressing room with Cristiano Ronaldo, is among the most sought-after managers in Europe. He was heavily linked to becoming the successor of Jurgen Klopp at Anfield before being targeted by Liverpool's Premier League rivals West Ham United.
It is this demand for his service at the English soil that led to the 39-year-old apologising to his players. Amorim reportedly confessed that it was a "mistake" on his part to fly to London in order to hold talks with West Ham. The manager said it was not right for him to make the trip while Sporting was preparing to take on Porto on Sunday.
According to Amorim, he wasn't thinking clearly when he decided to make the trip. He went on to apologise to the fans of the club during a press conference as he had a history of penalising players for offences that seem minor in comparison to his latest deed.
"It was my fault, I have to accept that and live with it. I didn't think it was so bad at the time but thinking back on it it's very clear. I've explained this with the players, the staff..." ESPN FC quoted him as saying during a press meet.
"I'm using the conference here to say sorry to the Sporting fans, the staff and above all to say sorry publicly to the players for the mistake that I made...
"The trip, the timing was completely wrong. I didn't think so at the time but it was wrong, especially when I'm so demanding of my players, and I'm always the first to say that the problems of individuals can't take over the team, and I've taken players out of the team for much less," he added.
Ruben was roped in as the manager of the Lisbon-based side on March 4 2020. At the time of the hiring, Amorim had only the experience of slightly over two months in charge of a top-flight club. Sporting reportedly paid €10 million for his services, the third-highest transfer fee for a manager in history.
Ruben Amorim managed to bring the league trophy home -- Sporting CP's first Liga title in 19 years. The highlight of his second season was Sporting making it to the UEFA Champions League round of sixteen for the first time since the 2008–09 season and winning a third consecutive league cup final (the first one was with Braga). He is the fastest manager to win 50 games in the Primeira Liga.
