“Spurs Captain Romero Hits Out at Management After Defeat”

Tottenham captain Cristian Romero appeared to take a swipe at the club’s board following a dramatic 3-2 defeat to Bournemouth on Wednesday night.

Spurs initially took the lead at the Vitality Stadium through Mathys Tel, but Evanilson equalised for the hosts. Eli Junior Kroupi then put Bournemouth ahead, only for Joao Palhinha to level in the 78th minute. In stoppage time, Antoine Semenyo, in what is expected to be his final appearance for the Cherries, scored a spectacular long-range winner.

The loss marked Spurs’ eighth in the Premier League, leaving Thomas Frank’s side 14th after 21 games and adding pressure on the manager. Frank also caused a stir after being spotted drinking from an Arsenal cup left behind at Bournemouth’s ground, later explaining that he “definitely did not notice it.”

Romero addressed the fans on Instagram, offering an apology while also taking a subtle dig at the club hierarchy. A screenshot shared by Fabrizio Romano showed him writing, “They only show up when things are going well to tell a few lies,” though he later edited the post to focus on rallying the supporters.

He wrote: “Apologies to all the fans who follow us everywhere, who are always there and will continue to be. We are responsible, there’s no doubt about that. I am the first. But we will keep facing up to it and trying to turn the situation around, for ourselves and for the club.

“At times like this, it should be other people coming out to speak, but they don’t — as has been happening for several years now. They only show up when things are going well. We’ll stay here, working, sticking together and giving our all to turn things around. Especially at times like this, keeping quiet, working harder, and moving forward together is part of football. All together, it will be easier.”

Teammates showed support online, with Richarlison posting an applauding emoji and Pedro Porro commenting, “Amen. Keep going brother. We have a lot of battles left.”
Romero’s defensive partner, Micky van de Ven, also displayed raw emotion after the game, clashing with fans in the away end before being restrained by Spurs staff, while Porro experienced similar frustrations over the club’s recent struggles.

Reflecting on the defeat, Frank said: “I think hopefully everyone can see how hard we worked to get everything in the right direction. Overall, the performance was good, especially in the second half, in a game where we deserved more. It is extremely painful to be part of, so of course people are frustrated — I’m frustrated too, so that’s natural.”