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Nigerian chess master Tunde plays smart and delivers a masterstroke reaction after Manchester United's Europa League final heartbreak against Tottenham.
Manchester United’s turbulent season ended in despair after they fell 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Europa League final, a result that left Nigerian chess icon and United fan Tunde Onakoya reflecting on the limits of hope and the lessons of chess logic.
United, under new manager Ruben Amorim, entered the final as favourites, desperate to salvage a campaign that had spiralled since the sacking of Erik ten Hag in October last year. But it was not to be.
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I'm not leaving — Amorim expresses determination to lead Man United despite Tottenham defeat
Manchester United coach Ruben Amorim expressed his desire to lead the club to glory despite Europa League final defeat to Tottenham.
Tottenham, led by Ange Postecoglou, clinched their first major trophy in 17 years thanks to Brennan Johnson’s scrappy first-half goal, securing a Champions League berth and ending a decades-long European drought for Spurs.
The match itself was tense and error-strewn, with United’s best chances, headers from Rasmus Højlund and Luke Shaw, denied by heroic Tottenham defending and goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.
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The defeat leaves United languishing in 16th place in the Premier League, out of European competition next season, and with Amorim under mounting pressure.
Tunde Onakoya’s Reaction
Onakoya, who watched the final, took to social media with a characteristically sharp take: “With Man U, it’s the hope that kills. Let me just focus on my chess, where hope is not a strategy.”
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Onakoya’s words resonated with many fans who have endured United’s recent struggles.
The chess master, renowned for his strategic acumen and mental resilience, qualities honed over years of competitive play and his record-breaking 60-hour chess marathon in Times Square, drew a clear line between the emotional rollercoaster of football fandom and the calculated demands of chess.
After the game, still visibly disappointed, Onakoya added:
“Does Man U have a chess team one can support? At least until this wayward football team finds God again.”
Chess logic vs football hope
Onakoya’s reaction shows a key contrast: in chess, hope alone is never enough; success depends on strategy, preparation, and execution.
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In football, especially for United fans this season, hope has often been all they had left, a sentiment captured in Onakoya’s wry commentary.
His perspective is shaped by years of using chess as a tool for empowerment, teaching underprivileged children in Nigeria that the game is not just about hope, but about creating opportunities through learning and discipline.
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For Onakoya, chess is a means to an end, a gateway to other opportunities, one of which is education.
United’s heartbreak, Spurs’ victory
While United’s fans are left to ponder what went wrong, Tottenham’s victory marks a turning point after years of near misses.
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For Onakoya and millions of Nigerian United supporters, the pain of defeat is real, but so is the lesson: in chess and in life, hope must be matched with logic, planning, and the willingness to adapt.
For now, Tunde Onakoya will return to his chessboard, where the rules are clear, the strategies precise, and hope is never a substitute for a well-played game.
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