"Controversy" Tottenham manager Max. "Do we have to hear this?" Why on earth... "I'm not stupid"

*This content was translated by AI.

Following the poor performance, even a single moment of action caught the eye of Tottenham Hotspur fans. Thomas Frank (52) has explained himself about the controversy arising from the use of a cup bearing the emblem of his North London rival Arsenal.

ESPN, a sports media outlet, reported on the 8th (Korea Standard Time) that "Coach Frank did not recognize that he had drunk a drink from the Arsenal Cup before kickoff against Bournemouth," adding, "He would have been 'completely stupid' if he had done that on purpose."

Coach Frank was seen holding a coffee cup with a clear Arsenal logo ahead of the English Premier League (EPL) match between Bournemouth and England, causing a huge stir on social networking services (SNS). Coincidentally, Arsenal won 3-2 against Bournemouth at the same venue, Vitality Stadium, last weekend ahead of Tottenham, and the cup seems to have remained in the away locker room.

Asked about it after the game, coach Frank did not hide his displeasure. According to ESPN, "It would be really stupid to deliberately use the Arsenal Cup in a situation where you don't win all games," he said. "It's a misunderstanding if someone thinks I and the staff did this on purpose."

Coach Frank then said, "Analenas used the locker room here before our game (Saturday). "It's very normal to ask for a cup of espresso before the game," he explained.

Coach Frank also said, "The reality that we have to ask these questions is a sad aspect of the soccer world. "If you have to worry about using another club's cup, we are definitely going in the wrong direction," he said. "Of course I wouldn't have done that knowingly. It's a really stupid act," he stressed.

However, this scene, which came from a situation where he was suffering from poor performance, left a bad impression on his fans. The controversy was compounded by Tottenham's painful upset. Tottenham lost 2-3 to Bournemouth in the 2025-2026 EPL away game at the Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth, England.

The game was decided at the end of the game. In the tense flow, Tottenham kneeled down by dedicating a painful winning goal to Antoine Semeno at the end of the second half.

The defeat plunged Tottenham into a deep slump with just one win in their last five league games. Before we knew it, the EPL ranking fell to 14th place.

Coach Frank said in an interview after the game, "It's a difficult result to accept for everyone related to Tottenham," adding, "I hope everyone saw how hard we tried to go in the right direction. The overall performance was good, especially in the second half. It was a game that deserved more."

Still, coach Frank said, "It's a very painful result. It's natural for people to be frustrated, he said, adding, "I'm suffering from not getting anything even after showing good performance."

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*This content was translated by AI.