Ibrahimovic: ‘I apologise to Fonseca and Milan fans, Conceição a winner’

Zlatan Ibrahimovic apologised to former Milan coach Paulo Fonseca, admitting it was ‘a mistake’ to make him hold a press conference moments before he was officially sacked, but insisted he was ‘unable’ to be consistent and described his replacement Sergio Conceição as ‘a winner’.

The RedBird advisor introduced Conceição’s first press conference as Rossoneri manager and claimed the decision to fire Fonseca was taken ‘after the match’ against Roma, and not days before, as many suggested, adding that he and the other directors are ‘the first to be dissatisfied with the results’.

Ibrahimovic: Fonseca ‘unable to maintain consistency’, Milan prepared for ‘next step’ with Conceição

“Before starting with Conceição, I want to thank Fonseca for what he has done and for the professional he is,” Ibrahimovic told reporters, as quoted by TMW.

“Maximum respect for him. He was unable to maintain consistency in results, and when you’re at Milan, results are fundamental.

We decided to dismiss him after the match, and we made a mistake by sending him to the press conference. I apologize to Paulo and the fans.”

Milan supporters recently expressed their discontent with protest chants and banners urging owner Gerry Cardinale to sell the club, and Ibrahimovic said they ‘understand’ their frustration and they’ll only be satisfied when they achieve their goals, admitting the Supercoppa Italiana is one of them.

“We understand the fans,” the Swede continued.

“We have the utmost respect for them, and we are the first to be dissatisfied with the results.

“We won’t be satisfied until we achieve our goals. And the Supercoppa is one of those goals. The responsibility is not solely the coach’s; we all have to take responsibility.”

Finally, Ibrahimovic added that he hopes that Conceição can bring the club to the ‘next step’, stating that he is ‘a winner’ and has a ‘clear vision’.

“A club like Milan is always prepared for the next step,” he concluded.

“Everyone knows who Conceição is: he has character, he’s a winner, and he has already taken over mid-season with great results at Porto.

“He has a clear vision: yesterday, as soon as he arrived, he immediately got the team to work. Our job now is to provide him with everything he needs.”