
Simone Inzaghi coy over Inter future after latest Champions League heartbreak
Simone Inzaghi refused to confirm if he would be Inter Milan manager at the Club World Cup after he experienced Champions League final disappointment for a second time in three seasons.
Inzaghi watched Inter get destroyed in Saturday's showpiece in Munich as Paris St Germain ran riot to inflict a 5-0 defeat.
Advertisement
Inter were on course for the treble in April, but a Coppa Italia semi-final exit was followed by being pipped to the Serie A title by Napoli and their last chance of silverware evaporated at Allianz Arena in a final where the build-up had seen Inzaghi heavily linked with a move to Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal.
Inter Milan suffered a record Champions League final defeat (Mike Egerton/PA)
Asked if he would manage Inter at the Club World Cup in America, which begins in two weeks, Inzaghi said: 'As I was saying before to your colleague, I cannot answer this question now. I came here out of respect for you, for politeness because I am hurting from a sporting point of view.
'It's not the right time to talk about the future. We are extremely disappointed and since July of last year we've played 58 or 59 games, we got to this final match, so it's awkward to talk about my future now.
'Again, we are extremely disappointed. We will be talking about the fact we won no silverware this year but these players deserve great credit because they gave it their very best shot and we suffered a lot of injuries. I wouldn't change these players for anyone else.'
Advertisement
While Inzaghi would not be drawn on his future, he did back Inter to bounce back from defeat by a record margin in a European final.
Desire Doue put Inter Milan to the sword (Mike Egerton/PA)
'The club is strong, the club supports us, we have already signed two player for next year and we know we will have to sign some more, but the club has always supported us all the way,' Inzaghi said.
'They were with us in our victories, in our defeats, the president (Giuseppe Marotta) was there, all the top executives, again everyone is extremely disappointed, but they told me they are proud of what Inter achieved this year in these 59 matches.
'We're very sad now and clearly there were a whole lot of fans who came to support us and unfortunately as was the case two years ago we failed to win the most important match.
Advertisement
'We have been through this before, we have suffered heavy defeats in the past and when you lose a final it always leaves a mark, but we can get going again all together because the club is solid and always supports us.'
Simone Inzaghi could not inspire Inter Milan to victory (Mike Egerton/PA)
Inter president Marotta backed Inzaghi to continue, telling the official club website: 'Our assessment of Inzaghi hasn't changed.
'As I've already said, he still has one year left on his contract and over the past four years, he's proven himself worthy of the role he holds.
'He's shown great professionalism, and one disappointing night doesn't erase all his achievements.'
Advertisement
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mirror
36 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Pep Guardiola confirms two Man City transfer decisions before Club World Cup
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has spoken about the club's squad planning ahead of next season amid speculation over stars about to enter the final year of their contracts Pep Guardiola has confirmed Manchester City goalkeepers Ederson and Stefan Ortega will remain with the club next season. The Catalan coach revealed the Premier League side appear unlikely to dip into the market to improve their options in net. Ederson and Ortega have shared the net at the Etihad Stadium for a number of years, with the former taking the no.1 slot for Guardiola's side. The duo are both set to enter the final year of their contracts however, increasing speculation that a change could soon be on the cards in goal at City. City have little time for rest before they are called upon for Club World Cup duty. Their first match takes place against Wydad AC on June 18. There is an opportunity to move for new players, with a transfer window open until June 10 but Guardiola appears content with his options for the moment. Though goalkeeper was an area of discussion with the club's hierarchy. "We have spoken about the situation regarding squad planning and the two goalkeepers we have will continue," Guardiola told reporters at a golf event in Catalonia on Monday. That did not prevent the ex-Bayern Munich boss being taken to task over Espanyol goalkeeper Joan Garcia. The shotstopper saw an approach by Arsenal last summer, while Barcelona appear to be in pole position for his signature this year, despite reported interest from the Gunners and City. "Joan Garcia is a really good goalkeeper, but City are linked with 500 players in every transfer window," Guardiola said. "He's an Espanyol player and I don't know what happen, but I'm told by the Espanyol guys [playing in the golf event] he's an extraordinary goalkeeper. The references we have are very good." City are already intending on leaving at least two bodies at home for their Club World Cup adventure in the United States. Midfield star Mateo Kovacic is to undergo surgery after nursing a heel injury. The Croatian will miss the tournament and be unavailable until the start of next season. Guardiola had hinted that the club were trying to manage the player's injury when he left him out of the FA Cup final squad as a precaution. The Manchester club are also said to have opted against including James McAtee in their squad. The 22-year-old will instead join up with England's pre-tournament training squad ahead of the under-21s Euros in Slovakia.


Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Revealed: The tip-off that gives Maddie McCann police their last chance to keep Brueckner behind bars – as German FBI bring in radar to scour trenches and fields looking for the missing Brit girl
Land near the former home of the main suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann is to be searched by police this week. Last night roads were closed and tents set up between the resort in Portugal where the three-year-old vanished 18 years ago, and a house nearby where Christian Brueckner once lived. Prime suspect Brueckner, 48, is in prison in Germany serving seven years for rape and the request for yet another search was made by German police. At least 30 agents from Germany's FBI, the BKA, acted on a tip-off and arrived at the idyllic Portuguese resort. An investigating source told the Sun: 'Following Brueckner's trial last year someone contacted them with theories on where anyone who took Madeleine might've dumped her. 'They told cops about trenches that were dug in Praia at the time Madeleine disappeared, and the house where Brueckner had lived on the edge of the village. 'Of course, all of these places have been searched over and over again, but now they have a new weapon in their ground-scanning radar. It means they don't need to dig for the sake of it. But as soon as they spot anything of interest they are ready to excavate and check it.' They are equipped with ground-penetrating radar technology that can scan up to 15ft below the surface of the ground. A well-placed Portuguese source said: 'The search will take place on 21 privately owned pieces of land which in some cases are not fenced off. 'Wells, ruins and water storage tanks will be searched.' The operation on property between Praia da Luz and a rented cottage on the outskirts of the resort town where Brueckner lived for several years before 2007 is expected to continue until Friday – unless new evidence about Madeleine's disappearance is unearthed. German forensic officers will be accompanying the latest investigation, which will look into wells, ruins and water storage tanks in the area. Portugal's Policia Judiciaria, which has led the hunt for Madeleine, confirmed that the request to search the area was made by German authorities. A source added: 'The search warrant was issued by the Braunschweig Public Prosecutor's Office, which is conducting preliminary proceedings against a German citizen suspected of the murder of British citizen Madeleine Beth McCann, who disappeared from a holiday resort in Praia da Luz on May 3, 2007. 'All the evidence seized by the PJ will… be handed over to the agents of the German Federal Criminal Police Service.' It will be the first search in Portugal for more than two years, following a week-long operation involving Portuguese and German officers at a remote dam a 40-minute-drive from Praia da Luz. The searches in May 2023 at Arade Dam – a spot that Brueckner reportedly called his 'little paradise' – came to nothing. That followed a June 2014 operation when British police were given permission to carry out digs in Praia da Luz. Those digs were linked to a UK police theory that Madeleine died during a break-in and burglars hid her body nearby. Despite the use of sniffer dogs trained in detecting bodies and ground-penetrating radar, it also failed to produce any evidence pointing to the youngster's whereabouts. In a smaller operation in July 2020 Portuguese police and firefighters searched three wells for Madeleine's body but failed to find any trace of her. Brueckner is under investigation on suspicion of abduction and murder in the Madeleine case but has denied any involvement. While German investigators made the unusual move of naming him as a suspect in the case, he has not been charged. Brueckner's prison term is set to end with his release this September – much earlier than prosecutors had hoped for after he was acquitted of unrelated sexual offences last October. He is no longer being held in solitary confinement as he nears the end of his sentence. 'The clock is against the case here and investigators do not want to see Brueckner walk free,' a source told The Sun. A spokesman for Scotland Yard said that it was aware of the searches but it was not taking part in them.


Sky News
an hour ago
- Sky News
Reform-linked thinktank hires YouTube star in policy and PR push
A YouTube star has been hired by a thinktank supportive of Reform UK as it looks to strengthen Nigel Farage's policy agenda, Sky News can reveal. Archie Manners, a comedian and magician who has performed high-profile pranks on celebrities and Just Stop Oil activists, has been hired by Resolute 1850, which is planning to change its name to The Centre for a Better Britain. It is understood the 32-year-old, whose YouTube channel with fellow influencer Josh Pieters amassed more than one million subscribers, has been hired full-time and will provide social media and communications advice. The hiring of Mr Manners, who worked for Mr Farage during the general election campaign, indicates Reform is hoping to expand its already significant reach with young men. While most of Reform's supporters are still older white men, post-election analysis by YouGov found Reform was the third most popular choice for men aged 18-24, alongside the Green Party. Reform has also been quick to engage with social media platforms, including TikTok, which are popular with Gen Z. The party now boasts nearly 400,000 followers - more than any other major political party - while Mr Farage's own personal TikTok now has over a million followers. While independent of Reform, Resolute 1850 has strong links to the party through leading figures, including Jonathan Brown - the thinktank's chief executive and former Reform chief operations officer - who will also seek to raise funds through UK, and possibly, US donors. In its first guise as Resolute 1850 - which the Financial Times reported is a reference to the HMS Resolute Royal Navy ship whose timbers were used to make the US president's desk in the Oval Office - the thinktank said its mission was to "foster stronger transatlantic relationships and more effective governance". Mr Brown told Sky News that Resolute 1850, which is due to launch formally by the autumn, was changing its name to the Centre for a Better Britain because "we wanted to be clear on what it did on the tin". "What we hope to do is set a policy agenda for the centre right which acknowledges the dire financial state the country is in and the errors that have been made around net zero and pretty much every policy the Labour Party and the Conservative Party are pushing forward, and actually have a desire for a radical break with the consensus of the last 20 years," he added. "Our desire is to build up a proper policy base and not be fixated on culture war issues - but to actually look at proper economic fiscal policy, foreign affairs and defence. "There's been a lot of enthusiasm around it." Mr Brown sought to downplay comparisons between his outfit and equivalent US thinktanks that are independent but supportive of US President Donald Trump, saying the UK had its "own challenges and political climate". He said calling Resolute 1850 a British version of MAGA (Make America Great Again) was "easy" but that he "disagreed" with the comparison. 2:22 "The idea that we are some sort of UK branch of a US organisation is not true," he said. "We are independent." Mr Brown added that Resolute 1850 currently had no US donors and that most of its fundraising - understood to be in the region of £1m - had been secured domestically, but that he was open to donations from across the Atlantic. Rumours of US donations to Reform began circulating last year when it was reported that Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of Tesla and X, who has just left his role at the White House, was considering offering $100m (about £80m) to the party. However, the donation has not materialised and the relationship between Mr Farage and Mr Musk appears to have fractured after the tech tycoon called for Rupert Lowe, the ousted Reform MP, to replace Mr Farage as leader. The impending launch of the Centre for a Better Britain comes as Mr Farage looks to build his policy platform following his success at the May local elections, where Reform won control of 10 councils and picked up more than 670 councillors. At a speech on Tuesday, the Reform leader vowed to reverse cuts to winter fuel payments and scrap the two-child benefit cap while also outlining his ambition to increase the personal allowance from the current £12,750 to £20,000 year - something the Institute of Fiscal Studies suggest could cost between £50bn to £80bn a year. Mr Farage has argued such policies can be paid for through scrapping net zero commitments and by ending the use of asylum hotels - but Sir Keir Starmer said they would be "Liz Truss all over again". "He set out economic plans which contain billions upon billions of completely unfunded spending," the prime minister said last Thursday. "Precisely the sort of irresponsible splurge that sent your mortgage costs, your bills and the cost of living through the roof."