Leading Tottenham to its first trophy in 17 years didn't prevent Ange Postecoglou from getting fired.
The Australian coach was denied the chance to take Tottenham into the Champions League in the wake of winning the Europa League after the London club's leadership decided a change was necessary.
“It is crucial that we are able to compete on multiple fronts," Tottenham said on Friday in a statement, "and believe a change of approach will give us the strongest chance for the coming season and beyond.
”This has been one of the toughest decisions we have had to make and is not a decision that we have taken lightly, nor one we have rushed to conclude."
Ultimately, it wasn't the 1-0 victory over Manchester United in the Europa League final in Bilbao — a win that ended Spurs' trophy drought dating to 2008 — that decided Postecoglou's fate.
Instead, it was a 17th-place finish in the Premier League — Tottenham's lowest since the competition was founded in 1992 — that was regarded as the most important in the final analysis. Tottenham lost 22 of its 38 games and ended the campaign just one position above the relegation places.
“We have made what we believe is the right decision to give us the best chance of success going forward,” Tottenham said, "not the easy decision.”
Among the managers linked in the British media with replacing Postecoglou was Brentford's Thomas Frank.
Postecoglou was hired by Tottenham from Scottish champion Celtic in June 2023, arriving with an attack-minded and entertaining style of football. It made for some high-scoring wins — but also some reckless and sloppy losses.
Spurs averaged 3.47 goals per game under Postecoglou in the Premier League (246 in 76 games), the highest goals per game ratio of any manager to take charge of 50+ games in league history, according to statistician Opta.
Tottenham made a stunning start in the Australian’s first season, winning eight of its first 10 games in the league and drawing the other two, but faded in the second half of the season to narrowly miss out on a Champions League place by finishing fifth.
This past season, the poor league results continued, even if the campaign was saved by winning the Europa League and thereby qualifying for the lucrative Champions League. That fulfilled Postecoglou's promise that he “always” delivers silverware in his second season at a club.
Postecoglou released a statement through his agency, CAA Base, saying winning a trophy with Tottenham will stay with him forever.
“When I reflect on my time as manager of Tottenham, my overriding emotion is one of pride," he said. "The opportunity to lead one of England's historic football clubs and bring back the glory it deserves will live with me for a lifetime. Sharing that experience with all those who truly love this club and seeing the impact it had on them is something I will never forget.
“That night in Bilbao was the culmination of two years of hard work, dedication and unwavering belief in a dream.”
The Europa League trophy made Postecoglou only the third Spurs coach to taste European success, provoking an outpouring of affection from a previously split fanbase.
He even produced a mic-drop moment during the victory parade in front of an estimated 220,000 people, when he declared “season three is better than season two.”
But Spurs chairman Daniel Levy thought differently and dismissed the man who delivered him a much-craved trophy.
Postecoglou said the foundations laid at the club mean it “should not have to wait 17 more years for their next success.”
He thanked his players, his staff and the supporters, and finished his statement by saying: “We are forever connected. Audere est Facere. (Tottenham's Latin motto, To dare is to do).”
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Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou on the open-top team bus during the Europa League winners parade in North London, Friday, May 23, 2025. (John Walton/PA via AP)
Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou holds up the Europa League trophy on the pitch during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton and Hove Albion at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London. Picture date: Sunday May 25, 2025. (John Walton/PA via AP)
Some celebrities donned anti-ICE pins at the Golden Globes on Sunday in tribute to Renee Good, who was shot and killed in her car by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer this week in Minneapolis.
The black-and-white pins displayed slogans like “BE GOOD” and “ICE OUT,” introducing a political angle into the awards show after last year’s relatively apolitical ceremony.
Mark Ruffalo, Wanda Sykes, Jean Smart and Natasha Lyonne wore the pins on the red carpet, and other celebrities were expected to have them on display as well.
Since the shooting Wednesday, protests have broken out across the country, calling for accountability for Good's death as well as a separate shooting in Portland where Border Patrol agents wounded two people. Some protests have resulted in clashes with law enforcement, especially in Minneapolis, where ICE is carrying out its largest immigration enforcement operation to date.
“We need every part of civil society, society to speak up,” said Nelini Stamp of Working Families Power, one of the organizers for the anti-ICE pins. “We need our artists. We need our entertainers. We need the folks who reflect society.”
Congressmembers have vowed an assertive response, and an FBI investigation into Good's killing is ongoing. The Trump administration has doubled down in defending the ICE officer's actions, maintaining that he was acting in self-defense and thought Good would hit him with her car.
Just a week before Good was killed, an off-duty ICE officer fatally shot and killed 43-year-old Keith Porter in Los Angeles. His death sparked protests in the Los Angeles area, calling for the officer responsible to be arrested.
The idea for the “ICE OUT” pins began with a late-night text exchange earlier this week between Stamp and Jess Morales Rocketto, the executive director of a Latino advocacy group called Maremoto.
They know that high-profile cultural moments can introduce millions of viewers to social issues. This is the third year of Golden Globes activism for Morales Rocketto, who has previously rallied Hollywood to protest the Trump administration’s family separation policies. Stamp said she always thinks of the 1973 Oscars, when Sacheen Littlefeather took Marlon Brando’s place and declined his award to protest American entertainment’s portrayal of Native Americans.
So, the two organizers began calling up the celebrities and influencers they knew, who in turn brought their campaign to the more prominent figures in their circles. That initial outreach included labor activist Ai-jen Poo, who walked the Golden Globes’ red carpet in 2018 with Meryl Streep to highlight the Time’s Up movement.
“There is a longstanding tradition of people who create art taking a stand for justice in moments,” Stamp said. “We’re going to continue that tradition.”
Allies of their movement have been attending the “fancy events” that take place in the days leading up to the Golden Globes, according to Stamp. They’re passing out the pins at parties and distributing them to neighbors who will be attending tonight’s ceremony.
“They put it in their purse and they’re like, ‘Hey would you wear this?’ It’s so grassroots,” Morales Rocketto said.
The organizers pledged to continue the campaign throughout awards season to ensure the public knows the names of Good and others killed by ICE agents in shootings.
For more coverage of the 2026 Golden Globes, visit https://apnews.com/hub/golden-globe-awards
Jean Smart poses in the press room with the award for best performance by a female actor in a television series – musical or comedy for "Hacks" during the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Natasha Lyonne, left, and Clea DuVall arrive at the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Wanda Sykes arrives at the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Mark Ruffalo, left, and Sunrise Coigney arrive at the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Mark Ruffalo, wearing a "Be Good" pin, arrives at the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
