‘Disgraceful behaviour’: Journo hammered over Man United presser

There are calls for swift punishment after a reporter repeatedly asked Manchester United’s new manager to speak “in English”.

Incoming Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has been subjected to a painfully awkward press conference exchange that’s been described as “breathtaking arrogance”.

The 39-year-old was named the new manager of the Red Devils on Friday, taking on what has been a poisoned chalice ever since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement back in 2013.

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Replacing the recently fired Erik Ten Hag, Amorim will take up his new post on November 11 and still has two matches to contest with his current club Sporting CP.

The first is a Champions League tie against Manchester City on Wednesday (AEDT) and his pre-match press conference led to the cringe-worthy exchange, which you can see in the video player above, at no fault of the Portuguese manager.

The press conference was being held in Lisbon entirely in Portuguese and reporter Gary Cotterill seemed to tire of the language being used.

Ruben Amorim will take charge of Manchester United next week. (Photo by PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP)

“Ruben, hello. Do you know what we miss?” Cotterill began in a tone many have questioned.

“What?” Amorim replied.

“Your wonderful English. Can we have one answer in English for all people who are going to be watching this game interested in Manchester City, in Sporting and in Manchester United?

“One answer in English?”

At this point, a moderator off camera interjects to remind the reporter Amorim will be speaking in English when he takes up his new role.

“You’ll have time to hear Ruben speaking English,” they said firmly.

He added “now it’s time for him to speak …” before he was swiftly cut off.

“Have Manchester United asked you not to speak in English?” Cotterill asked, oddly.

“No, no, no,” Amorim replied.

The cringe-worthy moment in Ruben Amorim's press conference. Photos: X

Unperturbed, Cotterill opted to push on as Amorim managed a sheepish chuckle.

“I wondered if you were aware that obviously to win tomorrow night will be brilliant for your current club, but also brilliant for your new club.

“You could be a hero even before you get on a plane to Manchester. Has that crossed your mind?

“In English please.”

Amorim could only reply: “Hmm sorry, I cannot speak in English now.”

When he was repeatedly asked “why” by the reporter, Amorim gestured to the rest of the room and stated: “They will miss me in Portuguese, so I have to speak Portuguese.”

An exasperated Cotterill, ready to throw his toys out of the cot by this stage, fired back: “They’ve had about 25 minutes in Portuguese. We want 10 seconds in English.”

Manchester City training ahead of the clash with Sporting CP. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

Amorim again looked at the moderator, who said: “We will proceed in Portuguese.

“Next week, you will hear him talking English.”

Cotterill finished off by saying: “It’s like a cold shoulder to all your English fans.”

Naturally, press conferences are routinely held in different languages, often with headphones to assist with English translations or with transcripts released shortly afterwards to the press.

It is far less routine for a journalist to repeatedly badger a sporting identity and insist they speak in the language they desire.

The response to the exchange from a wide range of football fans and reporters was swift and fierce.

“An English reporter throwing a tantrum because Ruben Amorim, a Portuguese manager, currently representing a Portuguese club, is speaking Portuguese at a press conference,” captioned Portuguese football profile Proxima Jornada when posting the video on X.

“Breathtaking arrogance from the journalist,” added English reporter Ben Jones in a retweet.

Football fans took it even further commenting on the video on X.

United have struggled following the retirement of the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson. Photo: Allsport UK /Allsport

One wrote: “Whoever this is, they should be sacked.”

A second wrote: “How dare a Portuguese manager who is managing a Portuguese team, in Portugal, not reply in English!”

Another stated: “Lost for words. Amorim is a polite man at least.”

A fourth wrote: “That journalist should lose his press pass. That is disgraceful behaviour.”

We found one response seemingly supporting the reporter, writing: “It wouldn’t have hurt him just to give a quick 10-20 second answer in English to keep the journalist happy. Then he could have said that’s your lot and continued in Portuguese.”

But a great deal more were along the lines of X user Francisco Silva, who offered: “If I were Ruben, I would answer this reporter’s future questions exclusively in Portuguese.”

European football begins an international break next week, with Amorim’s first match in charge of United slated for the Premier League clash away to Ipswich Town on November 25.

Originally published as ‘Disgraceful behaviour’: Journo hammered over Man United presser