Promoted the team after 9 years in the Premier League and presented their “apology”: “We failed!”
Article by Romeo Ene – Published on Wednesday, 27 May 2026, 08:54 / Updated on Wednesday, 27 May 2026 08:55
Sergej Jakirovic (49 years old) was the protagonist of a tasty moment at the celebration Hull City's promotion to the Premier League. The Bosnian coach apologized to fans for “failing” in the goal set at the start of the season, keeping the team in the Championship.
The statement was made as a joke during the parade in Queen Victoria Square, where around 40,000 supporters celebrated the return of the “Tigers” to the first stage of English football.
Hull City manager joked after Premier League promotion: 'We failed'
“I have to apologize. I was hired with one goal in mind, to keep Hull City in the Championship. We failed, because we are going to the Premier League”, said Jakirovic, to the amusement and applause of the fans.
Promotion is one of the biggest surprises of the season in English football. Hull City became only the third team in Championship history to be promoted after finishing the regular season in 6th place and the first to achieve the feat since Blackpool 16 years ago.
The road to the Premier League has not been without controversy. In the play-offs, Southampton knocked out Middlesbrough in the semi-finals and were due to play Hull City in the final at Wembley after Jakirovic's side got past Millwall FC.
However, Southampton were sanctioned in the “Spygate” scandal and lost the right to contest the final.
Hull City's performance is all the more impressive as last season the team only managed to save themselves from relegation in the final stages. Furthermore, the club was subsequently handed a transfer ban for two windows due to outstanding debts.
With a squad largely made up of loanees and free agents without the possibility of major investment, few saw Hull City in contention for promotion. Most experts believed that the team will fight again to avoid relegation.
In addition, the management made a surprising decision in the summer, parting with Ruben Selles, the technician who had saved the team, and appointing Jakirovic, who came from Kayserispor, with no experience in English football.
At the end of the parade, the Bosnian coach also spoke about the bond created between the team and the supporters.
We bring joy and unity. For a day, people can forget about their problems. You can see on every street how much they appreciated what we did. They are happy and proud. I'm very proud too. They deserve everything.
– Sergej JakirovicHull City's manager
