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Scottish Sun
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Former Premier League manager is told ‘f*** you' by his own player before he shushes him in furious Club World Cup row
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) EX-PREM boss Bruno Lage has been embroiled in an astonishing touchline spat with his OWN player. The Benfica boss watched his side see off Auckland City 6-0 in the Club World Cup on Friday night. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Benfica boss Bruno Lage was involved in a furious row with Orkun Kokcu Credit: Getty 3 The ex-Wolves manager was seen shushing his player during the row Credit: Getty Benfica struggled to break down the Kiwi minnows, taking almost an hour to find the opener. Lage decided to shuffle his pack in the Orlando heat, replacing Orkun Kokcu with ex-Swansea City midfielder Renato Sanches. But Kokcu was furious at being subbed, refusing to shake Lage's hand as he skulked from the field. Portuguese outlet A Bola claims Kokcu turned and shouted "f*** you" at his manager before taking his place on the bench. READ MORE ON FOOTBALL MARC MY WORDS Guehi makes summer transfer decision between Arsenal and Liverpool WATCH EVERY MATCH OF THE CLUB WORLD CUP 2025 LIVE ON DAZN A furious Lage confronted Kokcu and was seen shushing him by placing a finger on his lips. And after Sanches netted Benfica's third, the boss headed back to the bench to carry on the feud. Kerem Akturkoglu was seen holding Kokcu back, preventing the incident from escalating as Lage again shushed his own player. Lage claimed after the match that Kokcu was guilty of only wanting to "win and score goals". BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK He said: "We decided that Renato should come on. "Regardless of the players' form, I make the decisions. Bayern Munich beat Boca Juniors 2-1 at the Club World Cup "In the last game, we started with Renato, and Kokcu came on later and helped us. "That's how it was today, too. I saw the behaviour of a consistently professional athlete. That was a unique experience. "He has always behaved very well both on and off the field. He has the desire to help the team. "I make the decisions I have to make, no matter who it is. I've proven that many times. "I look at the player's current situation and make my decisions calmly." 3 Lage, 49, took charge of Wolves in the Premier League between June 2021 and October 2022. He won just 19 of 51 games at Molineux, but was hampered by an injury crisis to his strikers. Julen Lopetegui replaced Lage in the Midlands, with the Portuguese taking charge of Botofago in Brazil before joining Benfica for a second stint last summer.
The Irish Sun
21-06-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Former Premier League manager is told ‘f*** you' by his own player before he shushes him in furious Club World Cup row
EX-PREM boss Bruno Lage has been embroiled in an astonishing touchline spat with his OWN player. The Benfica boss watched his side see off Auckland City 6-0 in the Club World Cup on Friday night. Advertisement 3 Benfica boss Bruno Lage was involved in a furious row with Orkun Kokcu Credit: Getty 3 The ex-Wolves manager was seen shushing his player during the row Credit: Getty Lage decided to shuffle his pack in the Orlando heat, replacing Orkun Kokcu with ex-Swansea City midfielder Renato Sanches. But Kokcu was furious at being subbed, refusing to shake Lage's hand as he skulked from the field. Portuguese outlet Advertisement READ MORE ON FOOTBALL A furious Lage confronted Kokcu and was seen shushing him by placing a finger on his lips. And after Sanches netted Benfica's third, the boss headed back to the bench to carry on the feud. Kerem Akturkoglu was seen holding Kokcu back, preventing the incident from escalating as Lage again shushed his own player. Advertisement Most read in Football Exclusive Lage claimed after the match that Kokcu was guilty of only wanting to "win and score goals". BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK He said: "We decided that Renato should come on. "Regardless of the players' form, I make the decisions. Advertisement Bayern Munich beat Boca Juniors 2-1 at the Club World Cup "In the last game, we started with Renato, and Kokcu came on later and helped us. "That's how it was today, too. I saw the behaviour of a consistently professional athlete. That was a unique experience. "He has always behaved very well both on and off the field. He has the desire to help the team. "I make the decisions I have to make, no matter who it is. I've proven that many times. Advertisement "I look at the player's current situation and make my decisions calmly." 3 Lage, 49, took charge of Wolves in the Premier League between June 2021 and October 2022. He won just 19 of 51 games at Molineux, but was hampered by an injury crisis to his strikers. Advertisement Julen Lopetegui replaced Lage in the Midlands, with the Portuguese taking charge of Botofago in Brazil before joining Benfica for a second stint last summer.
Wales Online
05-06-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
'Lucky' Russell Martin gets Rangers warning as former Swansea boss lands new job
'Lucky' Russell Martin gets Rangers warning as former Swansea boss lands new job Ex-Rangers star Jermain Defoe has issued a telling warning to the man who will be tasked with filling the Ibrox hotseat, former Swansea manager Russell Martin Former Swansea boss Russell Martin is the new head coach of Rangers (Image: SNS Group ) Jermain Defoe has acknowledged that any coach taking the reins at Rangers is "lucky", but he was quick to point out the tremendous pressure that ex-Swansea City boss Russell Martin will now be under. After Barry Ferguson temporarily took the helm following Philippe Clement's departure in February, Martin, who helped guide The Swans to 15th and 10th-placed Championship finishes during his two seasons at The Stadium, has now been installed in Glasgow. The 39-year-old, acquainted with Ibrox from a rather forgettable loan spell a decade ago, faces the challenge of reclaiming league title glory after a season that left fans disheartened. Defoe, whose tenure with Rangers culminated in securing their illustrious 55th Scottish Premiership title, reflected on the responsibilities associated with managing at Ibrox. He highlighted the privilege linked to the managerial post, but also cautioned that anything less than outstripping Celtic is tantamount to failure. "It is a huge football club, and whoever gets that job, you know, they're a lucky manager," Defoe commented, via the Record, before the appointment of Martin. "I was in a team where we won... it was 55 league titles. "It was the special one, really. The one that the fans were craving - stop Celtic from doing 10 in a row, that sort of stuff. But to have that experience. It was amazing. I still keep in contact with a lot of the people there at the club. Article continues below "Of course, when we won the league, with Steven [Gerrard] the squad that we had. And obviously, I left and Calvin Bassey left. And everyone sort of left and Gio [Giovanni van Bronckhorst] came in - so close to winning the European trophy (Europa League). "But then you just thought that the club would sort of kick on from then and sort of just dominate and go on and win the league every year. And it's just not happened. It's been frustrating to sit back and see. Defoe won the Scottish Premiership under Steven Gerrard (Image: PA ) "And even more recently, the gap between us and Celtic at the minute. The manager has lost his job, which is part and parcel now. "Especially at a club like that, where it's just all about winning. That's the sort of mentality up there. The sort of like demand, the pressure that you get from the board and the fans. You have to win. You know, if you come second, you might as well come last." Celtic have clinched the last four Scottish league titles, with Defoe's Gers being the team that stopped the prior run from reaching 10 consecutive wins. Thus, the former England striker reminisces positively about his tenure at Ibrox. "I love that club," continued Defoe. "I mean, I can sit here for hours and talk about that club, with what I experienced there. Obviously, when I got linked with Rangers, of course I knew that it was a big club. "From a young kid watching Ally McCoist, who I've come across in media now, one of the nicest guys, humble, iconic figure at the football club, Graeme Souness, again, when he was on Sky. So I always knew it was a big club. "But when you go, you have to go and actually experience it. And even when you walk into Ibrox, you can feel the history. It's weird. You have to experience it. Article continues below "And you walk down the tunnel, you're reminded of the players that have been there and won trophies. And you just want to be amongst those players." Martin will now look to get his managerial career back on track after the disappointing end to his 17-month Southampton spell. He guided the Saints to Premier League promotion via the play-offs after leaving Swansea amid controversial circumstances, but just one win in his first 16 top-flight games saw him sacked.
