"Very sad" Cardiff City boss sacked after defeat to Sheffield United defeat following chants from own fans
"Very sad" Cardiff City boss responds to X-rated chants from own fans during Sheffield United defeat
Omer Riza admitted that chants about his job from the visiting Cardiff City supporters during defeat at Sheffield United last night left him “very sad” before official confirmation earlier today that he had been sacked. Riza’s side slipped to second bottom after a 2-0 loss to the Blades, thanks to goals from Gus Hamer and Ben Brereton Diaz.
Riza enraged sections of the City support in midweek by branding them “clueless”, comments which he subsequently apologised for. But the relationship between him and the fanbase shows little signs of repair, with chants including: “Omer Riza, your football is s***,” coming out of the away end at Bramall Lane.
Many of the travelling Bluebirds fans also chanted the name of former Blades and City boss Neil Warnock, who has been linked with a sensational return to the Welsh capital to try and mastermind another survival bid in his career. Cardiff subsequently confirmed earlier today [Saturday] that Riza had been sacked, with Aaron Ramsey placed in charge for the last few games of the season.
“I think there were moments in the game where we broke well, we were structured and discipled but we weren't able to punish in those moments which allowed Sheffield to get back in,” Riza said afterwards. “They did that well to stop us creating opportunities or getting shots off.
“We've lost 2-0 which I don't think reflected the game. We limited Sheffield to not much in the second half but a little slip cost us again for 2-0. And after that it was always going to be difficult.”
Victory for United was a welcome relief after a run of three successive defeats which left their automatic promotion hopes hanging by a thread, with Riza admitting that the prospect of the home support getting on their side’s backs was a possibility before kick-off.
“We always felt if we could tip the scale, it would get the fans a little bit nervous and frustrated,” Riza added. “But their fans were good for the team and our fans for the players were loud and tried to push the boys forward. The performance overall was a good performance without taking anything from it.”
Asked about the chants from the away end, which also included a chorus of “You’re getting sacked in the morning,” which proved prescient, Riza added: “I don’t think it was towards the players, it was more towards me. I made some comments in the week that weren’t good, regarding a few of the fans, which I have apologised for and I apologise whole-heartedly for.
“It was in the moment but it was wrong, and I apologise. It’s a difficult one, I’m very sad about it to be honest and it’s one of those things. I just have to deal with it and take it on the chin, be strong for my players and for the club , and keep pushing forward to try and get what we need to stay in this league.”