AC Milan head coach Ruben Amorim was compelled to backtrack after using an analogy involving an airplane accident to describe how his team learns from mistakes. The incident occurred during a press conference on September 11, 2026, the 25th anniversary of the terror attacks.

Amorim, who was appointed manager of the Italian club in June, was explaining his philosophy for team improvement when he made the comparison. "I think we should improve in every training session. I expect that my players understand, it's like when you have an accident with an airplane, you learn something from," he stated. He quickly followed up by acknowledging the poor choice of words, saying, "It's not a good comparison, you understand what I mean."

He continued, "If something wrong happens, we take a lot of information and we put it in training sessions." He later added, "I'm a young guy and sometimes I make a mistake."

This is not the first time Amorim has faced scrutiny for his public statements. In January, following a Premier League defeat to Brighton, he controversially described his then-Manchester United squad as the "worst team in the history of Manchester United." He later apologized for that remark, attributing it to nervousness and poor post-game communication.

During his tenure at Manchester United, Amorim presided over the club's worst-ever Premier League finish of 15th place. His win rate across all competitions was 38.1 percent, the lowest for any United manager in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era. His time at the club was marked by frequent public exchanges with former players like Gary Neville, Roy Keane, and Paul Scholes, who were critical of his tactics in their media roles.

Amorim's move to AC Milan has presented him with a similar dynamic, as many of the club's former greats hold significant media positions. Discussing the impact of club legends in the media, Amorim commented on Friday, "I was in a club in the past with a lot of legends, and they have big opinions, and they talk a lot about things. They lived in a time that was completely different."