LISBON: Benfica coach Jose Mourinho insists he is capable of turning down an offer from Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, while denying rumours of a possible return to the Spanish giants.

Mourinho will face Real Madrid in the Champions League playoffs tomorrow morning before the return leg at the Santiago Bernabeu next week.

The 63-year-old Portuguese coach, who managed Madrid between 2010-2013, has a clause in his contract with Benfica that allows him to leave the club, leading to speculation that Perez could recall him next season.

Mourinho previously guided Benfica to a 4-2 win over Real Madrid in the league stage in January, which saw the two teams meet again in the play-off round.

“Can I refuse? Yes,” Mourinho said when asked if he could refuse a request from Madrid’s number one. “Yes, yes, of course.”

He admitted to having a good relationship with Perez and a permanent relationship with Madrid, but the clause was agreed due to Benfica’s presidential election last November, a few weeks after he signed the contract.

“I have given everything for Real Madrid, everything I have, there are good things, there are not so good things, but I gave it my all, that’s all,” Mourinho said.

“When someone leaves a club with that kind of feeling, I think that connection is always there… the fans think highly of me and that’s great, but with that I don’t want to create a story that has no basis.

“All that exists is my contract with Benfica for another year. It’s a special contract because it was signed during the election period.”

Mourinho said the contract was made to protect the new president, even though Manuel Rui Costa ultimately won again.

“There is an easy clause for me or Benfica to terminate the contract, but what exists is only the contract with Benfica, nothing with Real Madrid,” he stressed.

“I do want to knock Real Madrid out (of the Champions League), but I want Alvaro (Arbeloa) to win La Liga and stay at Madrid for many years.

“I think he is a very capable coach and has the soul of Madrid in him, and has the personality to lead Madrid, something that not everyone can do.”

Mourinho expects a different game compared to Benfica’s dominant display in Lisbon last month, emphasising the strength of Arbeloa’s team, champions of a record 15 times.

“The Real Madrid I expect tomorrow is the Real Madrid who are the number one favourites to win the Champions League,” said Mourinho.

LONDON: Tottenham Hotspur have sacked Thomas Frank after just eight months in charge of the club following a poor run of form that has left them just five points above the Premier League relegation zone.

The decision was announced by the club today after a 2-1 home defeat to Newcastle United which left Spurs in 16th place with 29 points from 26 matches.

“Thomas was appointed in June 2025 and we have tried to give him time and support to build a future together.

“However, results and performance have led the Board of Directors to believe that changes are necessary at this stage of the season,” according to the club’s official statement.

Frank, 52, had previously built a stellar reputation with Brentford since 2018, helping the club rise to the top flight and remain competitive.

However, he failed to repeat the same formula at Spurs, who emerged as Europa League champions last season.

The defeat to Newcastle was the 11th league defeat of the season, with fans clearly expressing their displeasure as chants of “You’ll be sacked tomorrow morning” echoed through the stadium.

Spurs have lost seven league games at home and have only won two of 13 games in front of their home fans.

Frank’s relationship with fans has also been strained, including an incident in January when he was filmed holding a coffee cup with the logo of local rivals Arsenal – a situation he described as a mistake.

Before that, he also criticized fans for jeering goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario after a mistake in the defeat to Fulham.

Ironically, former manager Ange Postecoglou was previously sacked despite winning the Europa League after Spurs finished the league season just one place above the relegation zone.

Frank was supposed to bring the club back into the top four, but only seven league wins have been achieved so far, in addition to being overshadowed by a long injury list.

The eight-game run without a league win is the worst since Juande Ramos was sacked in 2008.

Despite struggling domestically, Spurs excelled in the Champions League when they finished fourth out of 36 teams to qualify for the last 16.

Frank actually received support in the January transfer window when the club brought in Conor Gallagher and appointed former Liverpool assistant John Heitinga.

However, the failure to improve performance forced the club to act.

Spurs now need to bounce back quickly ahead of the North London derby against league leaders Arsenal on February 22.

A defeat in the match could potentially drag them closer to the relegation zone for the first time since the 1976-77 season when they finished bottom of the table.

MANCHESTER: Manchester United continued their comeback under interim manager Michael Carrick when they defeated Fulham 3-2 in a dramatic Premier League match at Old Trafford early this morning.

Slovenian striker Benjamin Sesko emerged as the hero of the Red Devils squad after scoring the winning goal in the fourth minute of injury time, sparking thunderous cheers from the home fans.

The victory lifted United to fourth place in the league with 41 points, in addition to further strengthening Carrick’s reputation, who previously recorded important victories over Manchester City and league leaders Arsenal.

Fulham, meanwhile, dropped to eighth place in the league.

United first took the lead through Casemiro’s goal in the 19th minute before Matheus Cunha doubled the lead in the 56th minute.

However, Fulham came back late in the match when Raul Jimenez converted a penalty in the 85th minute before Kevin thought his goal in the 91st minute had secured a draw for the visitors.

When the match looked set to end in a 2-2 draw, Bruno Fernandes stole the spotlight when he made a clever move past Calvin Bassey before providing a precise pass to Sesko who didn’t waste the opportunity to shoot hard into the top corner of the Fulham goal.

LONDON: Michael Carrick urged Manchester United to continue their positive momentum after a remarkable start to his caretaker tenure, with Matheus Cunha’s brace securing a shock 3-2 win over Premier League leaders Arsenal.

Carrick was appointed until the end of the season following the dismissal of Ruben Amorim on January 5.

The former United midfielder was quick to jump at the chance to return to Old Trafford after he was sacked by English second division club Middlesbrough in June.

United appointed an interim manager to allow the board to conduct a thorough search for Amorim’s permanent replacement.

But the club’s co-owner, Jim Ratcliffe, and his team of advisors may have found the right answer with the appointment of Carrick.

He managed to inject new spirit into the team with United appearing more energetic than the lackluster performance under Amorim, including a 2-0 win over Manchester City in his first match before jeopardizing Arsenal’s title mission in north London.

United have now climbed to fourth in the league and Carrick praised his players for responding positively to his tactical approach.

“The players have shown a very positive attitude to accept and do what is asked of them. I believe in them and try to convey that confidence,” said Carrick.

“It’s not just words. It’s easy to talk, but what’s important is the feeling and confidence to fully execute.”

“You have to really feel that confidence and they already have it. We have to maintain it.”

Carrick also ditched Amorim’s favoured three-man defence, a change that gave United a better balance.

The 44-year-old manager’s decision to give Patrick Dorgu a more attacking role also paid off, with the player scoring against City and Arsenal.

“I think we understand the flow of the game. There are times when we need to defend and work hard, but at the same time we want to dominate the game,” said Carrick.

“The goals scored were of very high quality, our play was also good and we looked dangerous at certain times. It was a complete performance.

“I’ve only been here for less than two weeks and I really want to improve the team and finish the season as well as possible,” he said.

LONDON: Chelsea revived their chances of finishing the Champions League in the last eight after recording a narrow 1-0 victory over Pafos in the league phase match, early this morning.

The only goal of the match was scored by Moises Caicedo in the 78th minute when the Ecuadorian midfielder headed in Pedro Neto’s corner kick.

The result saw Chelsea move up to eighth place overall on goal difference with one match remaining, but a more challenging task awaits them when they are scheduled to travel to Naples to face Napoli under former manager Antonio Conte next week.

In the first Champions League match under new manager Liam Rosenior, Chelsea dominated over 70 percent of the ball possession but faced difficulty penetrating the Cypriot team’s strong defense.

Visiting goalkeeper Jay Gorter emerged as a key figure with several brilliant saves, including denying three dangerous attempts by Caicedo before the winning goal was scored.

Chelsea, the 2012 and 2021 European champions, are now in a group of eight teams with 13 points each, making goal difference a critical factor heading into the final match.

Pafos, meanwhile, dropped to 30th place with six points, despite almost surprising the hosts in the first half when Jaja’s shot, which was hit by Chelsea captain Reece James, simply rattled the goalpost.